Author's Note: Happy Valentine's Day! Yeah... 2015. I'm updating this fic exactly two years later. I've become one of those cliche fic writers that makes people wonder if the writer has died, impeding their enjoyment of a fandom rare pair. *insert crying laughter emoji* Wow, is so different from when I first began using it to read, and from when I posted the prologue two years ago! :O

Oh and btw, I do not have a beta reader. Please point out any errors and I will correct them. Thanks in advance. :)

Longer Summary: Quick thinking saves Sirius' life and so the events in the Wizarding world are set down a different path. Hermione is assigned a mission, under the guise of academia, for the summer after her O.W.L.s and it requires her to be in close proximity of known foes of the Order of the Phoenix. A deep and consuming passion begins to burn with the son of a Death Eater. Begins from near the end of OotP, and becomes semi AU from there. [Hermione/Theodore]:

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. *cries*


~ The Urgency of the Matter ~

Hermione fought the dizziness that was beginning to trouble her. The feeling of dread was increasing heavily, pushing her body down. Hermione thought she might collapse. They had to take action fast, but they had to be cautious. The pressure felt unbearable and Hermione ignored it for Harry's sake. For Sirius'.

"Harry, I'm begging you, please! Please let's just check that Sirius isn't at home before we go charging off to London. If we find out he's not there, then I swear I won't try to stop you. I'll come, I'll d– do whatever it takes to try and save him."

"Sirius is being tortured NOW!' shouted Harry. 'We haven't got time to waste."

"But if this is a trick of Voldemort's, Harry, we've got to check, we've got to."

"How?" Harry demanded. "How're we going to check?"

"We'll have to use Umbridge's fire and see if we can contact him, said Hermione, who looked positively terrified at the thought. "We'll draw Umbridge away again, but we'll need lookouts, and that's where we can – oh! No, no, no, forget that. Forget all of that. We can get Snape!" Hermione's face immediately relaxed. Her relieved smile was met with Harry's frustrated glare.

"Snape? He'll slow us dow–"

"Harry, he's an adult who can help us!" Hermione saw that Harry was about to protest again and continued to speak "Harry, Snape is the only remaining member of the Order of the Phoenix at Hogwarts." Hermione looked imploringly at Harry. This was a moment of total desparation. It could be a trap, or it could be the end of Sirius.


Harry's breathing was laboured. Snape had made Ron and Hermione leave despite Ron's protests. This was the first time Harry had been alone with Snape in his office since the incident where he'd looked in the Pensieve. Snape's lips were curled in a sneer that infuriated Harry leaving no inclination to feel awkward. Harry was regretting listening to Hermione, feeling certain that Snape would not take him seriously. Snape did not appear to care for the urgency of the matter at hand.

"Potter, the point of our time spent on teaching you Occlumency was for you to block these vis–"

"Professor, I still need to know that Sirius is safe!" Harry interrupted. Snape's eyes bored into Harry's and Harry knew that Snape was needlessly performing Occlumency.

"Fine," Snape stated coolly. "I will check now."

Relief flushed over Harry but he had questions and could not be appeased.

"How are you going to check? Are you going to Grimmauld Place? Can I come?"

Snape was quiet but seemed to be repressing the urge to roll his eyes. Harry felt maddened by the slow approach Snape was taking. A member of the Order was in danger right now probably, and Snape was taking his damn time in stating a plan and taking action.

"The Order has a unique method of communication, Potter."

"Which is what exactly?" Harry enquired testily.

"We use Patronuses, Potter," Snape muttered breaking his gaze away from Harry's.

Harry had more questions about how this method worked precisely. Rubbing his scar he stood up from his seat across Snape's desk and got out his wand. He was capable of casting a Patronus charm after all. Snape however did not wait for Harry and went ahead with his incantation.

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silver white doe appeared and Harry blinked numerous times. He was surprised to see that Snape's Patronus form was so close to his own. Snape then spoke to the silver doe.

"Go to Grimmauld place, find Black, Lupin, Kingsley, Molly or Arthur Weasley, Fletcher, or Tonks. Ensure that Black is safe and that no one has been taken captive by He Who Must Not Be Named. Tell whoever you find that Potter had a nightmare and needed confirmation that his godfather remains unharmed and within the headquarters of the Order. Go."

Harry bristled internally at Snape's usage of the term "nightmare" but was more concerned with making sure that Sirius wasn't being tortured by Voldemort within the Ministry. He watched as the silver white Patronus Charm galloped out of Snape's office becoming transparent. Harry surmised it would return to its opaque form at Grimmauld Place.

Now there was nothing to do but wait for a response. Harry sat down again across from Snape who had not stood to cast his Patronus. Snape seemed to understand that Harry was going to wait for the response with him and said nothing to him about leaving or assuring Ron and Hermione that he had taken action. They sat in silence, Snape reading homework on his desk, and Harry quietly watching him, his heart thumping a little slower but still not at its normal rhythm. His scar burned.


Down in the Slytherin common room Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini observed the Inquisitorial Squad boasting about how their rapport with Headmistress Umbridge meant that they were sure to pass their O.W.L.s with flying colours.

Theodore personally thought it was a poor decision for them to advertise that fact gleefully. They were in a manner letting their peers know that they may have performed unsuccessfully in these major exams.

Blaise threw an annoyed glance over to their classmate Daphne Greengrass, who was perched on the couch next to Pansy Parkinson. He turned to face Theodore and agitatedly began polishing his wand.

"Bit stupid of that lot to brag on about how Umbridge will save their exam marks isn't it?," Blaise began to say and Theodore couldn't help but smile realising they'd been thinking of the same thing. "I mean even though Malfoy kept saying the past couple of days that it's not what you know, it's who you know I still would have thought he'd want to at least give off the illusion of being clever enough to pull better than decent marks without help."

Theodore turned his body away from Malfoy and his posse to face Blaise properly. "Well Malfoy loves to show off anything flashy like a high connection. This other stuff clearly hasn't occurred to him."

"How is he a prefect again? Dumbledore surely could have picked someone better from our House."

Theodore didn't reply. He'd been over this topic with Blaise numerous times since the beginning of the school year. He knew Blaise was jealous that the role had gone to Malfoy when the two of them performed similarly academically. Blaise and Theodore did not doubt that Mr Malfoy's friendship with their Head of House had had more to do with his son Draco's appointment as a prefect than Dumbledore did. Still… blaming the old man who often blatantly showed favouritism to other Houses was something that united all students in Slytherin.

The boys both fell quiet. Blaise had finished cleaning his wand and was shooting out black stars silently from the tip. Theodore watched them fall for a few minutes and then stood up.

"You gonna go to dinner now?" asked Blaise. "I was gonna get Daphne to have a Butterbeer with me, and celebrate end of exams alone. She seems busy right now it seems," he finished unhappily.

Theodore didn't wish to be in Blaise's mopey company just now and he wasn't tired enough to catch up on sleep just now. "Yeah… Yeah, I'm gonna go to the Great Hall now. You?" Secretly hoping he could have his meal in peace, without Blaise commentating things to him. He preferred the days where Blaise chose to liaise with the other Slytherins and right now Theodore wished Daphne would come over and keep Blaise company.

Blaise shook his head no, rubbed his eyes. He leaned back into the couch and sighed. The boys bid farewell to each other and Theodore made his way out of the common room.

On the way out of the dungeon corridors Theodore heard the voices of the Gryffindor 5th Year prefects arguing.

"Ron, Professor Snape will tell Harry and Harry will obviously tell us everything! We really should just go back the common room."

"Fine. But I'm suspicious of Snape. What's taking so long with Harry?"

"Professor Snape probably hasn't done anything. Don't be so paranoid. Harry likely wanted to wait til Padfoot replied. You saw how stressed and upset Harry was."

Theodore heard Granger and Weasley's footsteps approach the corridor he was in but even if he began to move they'd still see him. Weasley walked past him without saying anything, and so did Granger but unlike Weasley her eyes flicked to his for a brief second before turning away.

Perhaps she was wondering if he had heard them. Not that Theodore cared for what may be happening to Potter that required attention from Snape, or about whoever Padfoot was. Entering the Great Hall he felt the urge to look over at the Gryffindor table. He spotted Granger, seated between Weasley and his little sister.

Granger was looking at him as well. Theodore mused that she was concerned he had heard what they'd said. She knew his father was a Death Eater because of Potter after all. A fact he never confirmed for any student brave enough to approach him about the matter, instead staring at them with his dark brown eyes until the other person felt uncomfortable and slunk away.

Theodore began to eat and did not chance any more looks over in Granger's direction. He didn't want to arouse any more suspicion or attract that Mudblood's attention unnecessarily. Theodore had no intention of informing his old father about what he'd heard. Besides, he had no idea what the hell it meant and even if it did concern Potter, he was not in the Dark Lord's service obliging him to share what he had heard.

At least not for now.


Author's Note Continued: So... Was that an appropriate mix of events after two years? :) *hides behind a Shield Charm in case any TheoMione shippers attack*

Please review! I will respond to every review. I won't promise better Theodore/Hermione interactions in the next chapter, because I have a vision of how they slowly come together. I think that slow approach will be a rewarding read for you shippers. :)

xo Sabrina