"Hermione, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Harry, pushing an unruly lock of hair from his forehead. She nodded, dropping the last few books into her deceptively small beaded handbag
"I've got to stay. We need to know what the order is doing and we're going to need access to supplies. And let's be honest, if anyone had to go back to Hogwarts, it was always going to be me, wasn't it?"
Harry nodded, solemnly. They all knew how dangerous it would be to go back to Hogwarts, but as Hermione had pointed out previously- everywhere was dangerous now that Voldemort had risen to power.
Ron had his back to them both, one hand and his forehead pressed against the shabby maroon wallpaper, his other hand limp by his side. Hermione thought she saw his shoulders tremble slightly, but there was no point in trying to comfort him. She was sure that if any of them let themselves cry they would never stop. And besides, they were going to have to be stronger now. It wasn't an option- the fate of the wizarding world rested with them.
"Ronald, come down here at once, your brother's wedding is in two days and what are you doing to help? Nothing of course…"
The shrill voice of Mrs. Weasley snapped them out of their somberness and and made them jump. They all moved quickly towards the door and down the tiny winding stairs. Harry leading, Hermione in the middle and Ron lagging behind
"Keep your hair on woman, I'm coming now" Ron shouted back, although his voice shook slightly.
kept them all busy- Ron and Harry worked mostly in the garden, helping to decorate the wedding tent in gauzy, silver linen. Hermione worked with Ginny in the kitchen, polishing the old family china that had been dragged out from under layers of dust for the celebration "
Look at them drooling over Fleur" said Ginny, rolling her eyes and indicating to Ron and Harry through the window.
"Oh" Fleur was gasping, clutching her delicate hands to her buxom chest and marveling at the tent that was looking more and more like a Christmas cake as each hour passed.
"eeet is beautiful boys!"
Harry and Ron both went very pink
"I think Ron ought to remember that Fleur is marrying his brother!" said Ginny, shaking her head and polishing the cutlery with more vigor than was really needed.
Hermione smiled, but she felt a twinge of sadness. It was ok for Ginny; Ginny was just as beautiful as Fleur. Maybe not in the shiny, ethereal way but she could catch and hold everybody's attention when she walked into a room with her glossy red hair and fiery brown eyes. Hermione knew that she was plain and that her real strength was her brain. But watching Ron turn into a slushy moron over another girl was painful. She wondered how he would cope without her. How they would both cope without her, on the hunt for horcruxes whilst she tried to destroy the enemy from the inside out. She knew the boys would worry about her too- and that's why she hadn't told them the full extent of her plan.
Hogwarts was, of course, no longer safe for muggleborns. However, predicting this, Hermione had snuck into Dumbledore's office shortly before the funeral and placed a fake name onto the Hogwarts entrance list, and next to it scrawled- "pureblood". It was accompanied with a letter, explaining how her family were based in Poland, however they wanted her to have a British education and they hoped that Hogwarts would accept her. That's what the boys thought- Hermione would charm herself to look different, and enter Hogwarts as a Gryffindor first year. However this was only partially true. Hermione had no intentionof being sorted into gryffindor. Now that Voldemort ruled, all the children of the death eaters would feel safe to speak freely, to spill their secrets and discuss plans- and the children of the death eaters weren't in Gryffindor-they were in Slytherin. If Hermione was going to spy for the order, she was going to do it properly, she was going to be sorted into Slytherin.
Mrs. Weasley bustled around behind the girls, pulling up random articles of clothes that the family had strewn haphazardly across the floor
"So much to do, so little time. Never the less, it will all be worth it in the end…Hermione dear, you are looking a little peaky, are you alright?'
If Hermione had lost the colour to her cheeks, it was because the thought of the task ahead was daunting, but she saw an opportunity and she seized it. It was a stroke of luck really.
"Actually Mrs. Weasley….would it be alright if i went to lie down?"
"of course dear!" replied "do you want me to bring you anything? Some hot soup? Some tea?"
"oh no" replied Hermione quickly "I just need to rest"
"Of course dear, of course, I'll call for you when suppers ready"
Hermione saw the look of confusion and jealously on Ginny's face. She felt bad leaving Ginny to the tedious tasks by herself but there were things she needed to do, important things.
Of course, none of them had told the plan. The only people in the order that knew were Remus, Tonks, Minerva and the twins- and only Minerva knew that Hermione would be entering not as a Gryffindor, but as a Slytherin. It was the one thing keeping Hermione from panicking- knowing that she had such a powerful witch on her side.
Hermione went into Ginny's room and climbed under the covers, she pulled them over her head in case Mrs. Weasley decided to check on her and took her parchment and quills from under the mattress where she had hidden them.
"Now, where was I?" she whispered to herself
Hermone had been preparing things that she thought the boys would need- books, useful information, spells and charm… She had almost finished the last few notes that they would need, which included a list of charms they could use to sound-proof rooms and building, in case they needed to sneak in somewhere…which they inevitably would.
Once she had finished the list she took the quiet time to practice what she had been practising every spare second since the beginning of fifth year. She practiced emptying her mind of all thought, of all emotion. And then, enforcing new thoughts based on what Militisia Regodolus would think- her new identity. Because the person she feared the most, the person she felt the least confident to deceived, was the person she could no longer avoid- Snape.