A/N: This story is a very belated response to Southern_Witch_69's HP Chapter Challenge at The Petulant Poetess. (I wasn't even in the fandom until last year, but that doesn't mean I can't have fun with old challenges, right?). I have a complete draft, and will be uploading every few days. The complete rules of the Challenge appear at the end of this chapter. Please note that other than using the quotes as outlined below, I have completely ignored HBP and DH. If that bugs you, don't read this.
Constructive reviews are always appreciated!
Chapter 1 – A Credible Threat
Hermione sat uncomfortably in her parents' sitting room, feeling fully the awkwardness of the situation. Of all the people in the world that she had ever anticipated seeing here, Professor Snape was the very last. In fact, he didn't even make the list. She really didn't know quite how to handle the situation.
Fortunately, no one seemed to expect her to do much of anything – really, she may as well have been absent entirely, considering the way they were conversing around her and about her, but not at all with her. In the circumstances, she took the opportunity to examine Professor Snape. He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat, she decided dispassionately. Her Mum had offered politely to take it, when he had first arrived, but he had declined. Hermione wondered if it was so distasteful to him to be forced into polite conversation with Muggles that he wanted to be able to escape without a moment wasted to reclaim his overcoat.
She continued to examine him, as his attention was elsewhere. She had never truly looked at him before – it was just too likely to draw unpleasant comment from him. He really wasn't very good-looking, of course, but at least he was interesting-looking, with his limp black hair and his prominent nose and his crooked, yellow teeth. Considering that many of the good-looking people she knew couldn't hold a decent conversation, Hermione decided now that 'interesting' was infinitely preferable to 'good' when one was contemplating someone's looks. It was probably good that she felt that way, considering that she herself wasn't all that good-looking. That was probably why Ron and Harry forgot she was even a girl most of the time. She didn't mind, though. It would be awkward if they thought of her as female, wouldn't it? And anyway, she'd much rather be smart and interesting and nice than good-looking.
Of course, in Professor Snape's case, looking interesting and being smart probably weren't sufficient to overcome his horrid personality …
Suddenly realizing that everyone was looking at her expectantly, Hermione felt her cheeks warm as she realized someone must have asked her a question while she had been woolgathering. "Er … sorry," she murmured. "I wasn't listening."
Professor Snape glared at her. "We're putting all this effort into arranging for your safety, and you can't even be bothered to pay attention?"
"Er … sorry," Hermione said again. "It just seemed as though you all had things well in hand, and that my input was unnecessary."
Hermione's parents looked guilty, and her Mum protested, "Oh, Hermione, of course we want your opinion! After all, this affects you more directly than anyone."
Deciding not to argue, although she was quite certain that her opinion wouldn't matter if it conflicted with theirs, she said instead, "I just don't understand why this is an issue. Nothing material has changed, so far as I can tell, since last year or the year before that. We've known since the end of my fourth year that Vol –" Catching Snape's darkening glower, she hastily corrected herself "– I mean, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named – is back. Why is everyone suddenly so concerned about my safety?"
"If you had bothered to pay attention," Snape said irritably, "you would have heard me say that there has been a direct and credible threat against you specifically. The Headmaster feels, and rightly so, that our previous precautions are no longer sufficient."
"What kind of threat?"
"Excuse me?" Snape asked, sounding even more annoyed.
"What kind of specific threat?"
Snape glanced uncomfortably at her parents before answering. "The kind where you wind up being used as a pawn in a variety of ways, none of which are good for your long-term health and well-being."
"Oh," Hermione said. She digested that for a moment, then asked, "What ways?"
Snape looked like he wanted to strangle her with his bare hands. "I do not intend to repeat every word I've said since I arrived, Miss Granger, especially since I have been here too long already. The only material question is the one your mother asked you when you were woolgathering: do you prefer to move abroad and enroll in a new school under an assumed name and in disguise, or do you prefer to remain at Hogwarts?"
"I prefer to remain at Hogwarts, of course," Hermione said firmly.
"Are you sure, dear?" Mum asked. "You've only just got home, and if you come abroad with us, we could spend the summer settling in there. We were thinking America. Professor Snape says you should be safe at the Salem Institute. We could live nearby – in Boston, perhaps. There can't be much for you to do at Hogwarts during the summer …"
"Wait, you're expecting me to go back to Hogwarts now?" Hermione asked.
"Again, if you had been paying attention," Snaped ground out, "you would already have heard me say that none of you can stay here. The Dark Lord's determination to acquire you makes that unsafe for all of you. Regardless of what you do, your parents will be moving abroad in a matter of days. The Order will arrange for liquidation and transfer of their assets to wherever they decide to go. Their location will be Secret-Kept."
"But …" Hermione began.
"Miss Granger," Snape interrupted, "time is wasting. I can't imagine why your parents seem unwilling to make this decision for you – you are, after all, a minor according to Muggle law – but they are deferring to you. Make a decision, and make it fast. We do not have time for this dithering."
"Give me a minute," Hermione snapped, as she began to grow irritable herself. "Will I be able to have contact with my parents if I'm at Hogwarts?"
"We will be able to arrange occasional contact, most likely," Snape said impatiently. "However, close contact would put them at risk."
"Would I be able to have contact with my friends if I were with my parents?"
"No," Snape said tersely.
"No? None at all?" Hermione clarified.
"That would defeat the purpose of the entire exercise, Miss Granger, so no, none at all."
Hermione sighed, looking apologetically at her parents. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't just leave them with no contact at all. I just couldn't." Turning back to Professor Snape, she asked, "Do I at least have a few minutes to pack?"
"Hurry up, then," Snape said, sounding resigned.
Hermione dashed up the stairs to her bedroom, and quickly began putting her belongings back into the trunk she had removed them from only a few days earlier. As she packed, she thought it was too bad she was still a student, and therefore not permitted to use magic at home. Packing would be so much faster and easier if she could simply wave her wand and be done with it.
She wasn't sure when or if she would ever get back here, so she took everything that was important to her. As she packed, it occurred to her to wonder why she couldn't spend the summer at the Burrow, or even at Grimmauld Place.
Half an hour later, she came down the stairs, her heavy trunk thumping down the steps as she dragged it behind her. Snape was standing by the door, looking even more annoyed than usual. Her parents were already carefully packing away the photos that usually stood on the mantel, wrapping them in paper and setting them in one of the empty boxes that Snape must have conjured for them. Snape said to them, "It would be best to leave it looking as though you've simply taken a long trip, rather than moved entirely. If they think you're coming back, they won't immediately look for you, which will make it harder for them to find you when they realize you've left permanently."
"Yes, all right," Dad said. "We'll leave some clothing and personal effects, then."
"Someone from the Order will be here momentarily to provide protection until you've finished packing and then to take you to a safe house until your new home is ready." Snape waved his wand, making Hermione's trunk small enough to fit in the pocket she slipped it into. "Miss Granger, if you are ready, I will Apparate us to the gates of Hogwarts."
Hermione quickly said good-bye to her parents, then Snape took her arm and Disapparated.
Quote for Chapter 1 (determined as outlined below - my first number is 28 and my second number is 14) from SS/PS: "He looked very out of place in his moleskin overcoat."
SW69's Challenge Rules: This has been influenced by Doompark's 394 Challenge. Instead of using random books, we will use the HP books for a single quote per chapter.
Pairings? Choose one below.
Yes, there must be a love match between them.
Hermione/Severus
Draco/Ginny
Harry/Gabrielle
Ron/Luna
1. Take the month and day of your numerical birth date and add them together. (Ex: My birthday is on July the fifth. 07 [seventh month] + 05 [fifth day] = 12 )
2. Divide the sum by 2 to get a second number.
(Ex: I would divide 12/2 and get 6. Round all half numbers up to the higher number.)
3. Open up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone and use your SECOND number to figure out what chapter to open up to.
(Ex: I would open to chapter number 6.)
4. Use your FIRST number to find the sentence to use. (Example: I would scroll down to the 12th sentence of the chapter, even if the sentence is on the next page.)
5. The first chapter should include that sentence.
6. Continue the process with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets following the same formula and the second chapter will be formed around this sentence.
7. Continue with POA, GOF, OotP, and HBP in the same manner and in this order.
Each chapter must be 1000-2000 words long. No shorter and no longer!
BONUS:
An additional chapter or two chapters can be created from the two extra books that J.K. Rowling wrote: Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastical Beasts & Where to Find Them. These aren't as lengthy as the others, so you'll have to find your sentence and page a bit different here.
Fantastical Beasts...
1. Use your FIRST number to determine what page to turn to. (The highest sum would be 43. Since there are only 42 pages after the foreword, if your sum is 43, use the number 42.)
2. Use your SECOND number to determine which sentence to use on that page. If your number isn't found on the page, simply use the last sentence. (There are so many run-on sentences. You'll probably have to do this.)
3. Record the sentence AND the beast's name in which is falls under. (Example: I would pick sentence 6 from page 12 and note that my beast is the Common Welsh Green.)
4. Write the chapter using the sentence and the beast from that page. Same length requirements as above.
Quidditch Through The Ages...
1. Use your FIRST number to determine what page to turn to.
2. Use your second number to determine what sentence to use. Record the sentence and build the chapter around it. You may not have enough sentences on the page, simply use the last sentence if this is the case. There are many run-on sentences there, and some pictures take up a lot of room.
Same length requirements apply for this chapter.
NOTES:
If you use the six Harry Potter books plus the 2 extra books, you could have an 8 chapter story. [*lin's note: There are nine chapters in this story – because I used the same rule for book 7 as for the first 6, and also included the two bonus books.*]The chapters won't be very taxing, as the length requirements are minimum. If you do not have all of these books, please ask me or anyone else who might own them. We will gladly give you the quote you need to get started. This challenge starts as of today, April 27, 2005 through December 31, 2005. That should give people enough time to start up something and begin posting. I hope someone takes up this challenge. If you need anything, please post for help here or send an email to me.
[end of SW69's challenge rules]