I just feel lovely! I don't think I've slept this well in years. I can feel the sun beaming in through the window. Odd, I must have left my curtain open last night. Ah, but there's that disgusting musty smell, I'm defiantly at headquarters. Just a small stretch and I'll get up, maybe.
"I see you have decided to join the living, Miss Granger."
Uh, that's not Harry or Ron. That sounds like Prof...Shit. I had completely forgotten about the encounter with Snape and Dumbledore yesterday. Dumbledore! Oh, I've missed him. Stupid man, I'll have to hex him for making us think he's been dead for over a year!
God, I hope I have on decent nightwear. Or, this could get really awkward. I slowly open my eyes and peek under the blanket. Thank gods! I'm actually wearing my clothes from yesterday. Right, I was given that calming draught at the Ministry yesterday and someone carried me out. Who I assume was Snape, although I doubt I'm going to get that close to him again to find out if that was his lovely smell.
Wait! This isn't my usual room at the order. Snape's smirking at me like an idiot, but I don't care. He's sitting in a chair, next to a bookshelf, that is about fifteen feet away from me. I'm too interested in knowing where we're at. There are four beds in the room. Two are all the way across the room, the headboards of both beds are up against the wall. Obviously, Ron and Harry have chosen those, because they're laying on them reading quidditch magazines. The other two beds are on the this side of the room. The one I'm laying in and the other one is about seven feet away. That bed is obviously Snape's. It has potion ingredients spread across the silver comforter.
Snape's still smirking at me. I'm rather surprised he isn't scowling at me, he actually looks to be in a good mood.
"Where are we?"
"Order Headquarters. Do remember the conversation we had in the Ministry yesterday?" Snape seemed amused.
"Yes, Professor...erm, I mean..." Well, what am I suppose to call him? Umm "Mr. Snape?"
Snape cocked an eyebrow and the corners of his lips twitched, "Severus, call me Severus. Seeing as the four of us will be working closely together, we should be on first name basis. Harry, Ron, and myself discussed it last night."
Wait, did he actually just say Harry and Ron? AND they discussed something without killing each other? Gods, one passing out incident and a calming draught and I miss everything!
"Is that alright with you, Hermione?"
Oh! Gods, that voice, and he said my name! He could tell me how he was going murderer me and I'd probably just nod and drool. I'm such a girl!
"Yes, that's good..Severus.."
How in the hell am I going to be able to last any amount of time in this place with Snape....i mean Severus...Sleeping right next to me.
"Would you like to see the rest of the house that you haven't seen before?" Snape asked, standing from his chair.
"Alright, how much did you and Dumbledore create? Where is Dumbledore by the way?"
"There's the Hermione Granger I remember, always asking questions. We created this bedroom, Dumbledore's bedroom, a lab, three bathrooms, a small sitting room, and a small kitchen area. As you could guess we needed to add several rooms so we wouldn't go stir crazy remaining only in this part of the house. And, Dumbledore is reading over some things in the sitting room."
The rooms that Snape, I mean Severus, and Dumbledore created are a lot more pleasant then the rest of the house. I'd assume that was Dumbledore's doing. The sitting room was lovely. There was one wall lined with book shelves full of books, while the other wall had a fireplace. Couches and chairs were scattered through out the room. Although, the couches were ugly. The lab was set up like Severus' private lab at Hogwarts. I snuck in there a few times to, uh, 'borrow', a few ingredients. The kitchen and bathrooms were like any other regular kitchen and bathroom, boring. I didn't go near Dumbledore's bedroom.
After I nearly hugged the life out of Dumbledore and yelled at him for making us think he was dead, we all joined in the sitting room to discuss things. The boys and I sat on an ugly floral couch, it was brown and green. It smelled like old people and feet. Dumbledore and Snape, damn it! I mean Severus! It's going to take me forever to get used that. Anyway, Dumbledore and Severus were sitting in wingback chairs in front of us.
"Now that Hermione is conscious and coherent", Snape said with a grin.
Jerk! I'm going to smack that stupid grin off his face.
"We can discuss training and plans", Snape continued. "Although Hermione and I are partners, when we have dueling training I will take turns dueling each of you. The death eaters are not going to hesitate using illegal and dirty spells, so you need to be prepared to defend yourself and be able to use spells that are just as dirty."
"I think that's a good idea", Harry commented.
"We will also need to have a work routine. Voldemort and the death eater concentrate mainly on spells, we will have an up on them if we are physically strong as well. Hermione you will have to work extra hard."
"What's that suppose to mean!"
Snape rolled his eyes. "Don't take this the wrong way, Hermione. But, it's a well known fact that women are physically weaker then mean. The death eaters will target you because of that."
"He's right 'Mione", Ron said with a sheepish look.
"Stop calling me that!" Jerks! I'll show them. I'll start lifting weights and then I'm going to punch them all in the face!
"Stop pouting like a child, Hermione. No one's saying you aren't capable of taking anyone of the death eaters down, it's just that they're going to target you because you're a women." Snape was now scowling. Good, I hope I pissed him off.
"On to the next subject", Dumbledore said with a soft smile. "When there are other people staying at Headquarters, you three will occupy the rooms that you used to use. That's why a majority of your stuff is left down there, so it looks like you have always occupied it."
"Does anyone else know you're alive?" Harry asked.
"No, Severus and I had kept the plan to ourselves. We didn't inform Kingsley of the plan until after Severus threw the killing curse at me on the tower and it appeared I was dead."
I laughed to myself. Well, maybe it was out loud, because now everyone is staring at me.
"Sorry, I just find it comical that you, someone who was suppose to be dead, and you, the killer of the great Albus Dumbledore just waltzed into the Ministry and into Kingsley's office days after the tower incident happened."
I think Severus found that funny too, his lips were twitching.
"Ah, it didn't quite happen like that", Albus replied, now smiling. "I showed up, unannounced, at Kingsley's home and told him what we had done. He gave me Vertrisurem to prove that it was actually me and I was telling the truth, then I contacted Severus and we both spoke with Kingsley. We have been staying at headquarters ever since. We knew everyone was searching for Severus and well, this would be the last place anyone would look."
"That's actually genius, Professor."
"Albus, call me Albus."
I could feel myself groan out loud. "I'll try to remember that."
"So, no one else knows your alive. Not even Professor McGonagall", Ron asked.
"You three and Kingsley are the only one's that know", Albus replied.
"McGonagall is going to be so angry." Harry started to grin as he spoke.
"Yes, I imagine she will be. But, actually, we will be informing Minerva in a couple weeks. Preparation for the final battle needs to start now, and we are going to need some more hands."
"Are you going to inform other members you are still alive?" I asked.
"We will gradually inform the inner circle of the order", Snape replied. "Minerva, Remus, Sirius, The rest of the Weasley's, Moody, Tonks, and the Malfoy's for now. We will decided as the battle comes closer who we can trust."
"The Malfoys!" I shrieked that louder then intended. But, the Malfoys!
"You have to be kidding!" Harry yelled and jumped to his feet.
"Calm down, Potter!" Snape bellowed.
I look over at Ron and he's being way to calm for someone that just found out our enemy is actually on our side. He actually had a guilty look on his face. That jerk!
"You knew didn't you!" I was trying to give Ron the best Professor Snape Scowl I could muster.
"Sorry! I over heard mum and dad talking one night, once they realized I had heard the conversation they told me the Malfoys were actually part of the order. Apparently, Lucius Malfoy joined the same time Snape, erm, Severus joined."
"Quite right, he is", Albus replied.
"Does Draco know?" Harry asked.
Good question. Draco's an awfully good actor if he does know they're on the side of the light.
"He does now", Snape replied calmly. "Draco wasn't aware though until the middle of your last school year. Lucius and Narcissa kept him in the dark, they were afraid since he was so young he might accidentally tell someone. Draco was never exposed to any of the revels or meetings, so he always seemed neutral when it came to following the Dark Lord. Once Lucius explained to Draco what was going on, he confessed that he had no interest in the dark arts."
"He sure acted like he did, I can't count the number of times he called me a mudblood."
"Please refrain from using that word, Hermione." Snape grimaced.
"Draco told his parents that when he first entered Hogwarts he tried to fit in with the other Syltherins, which was why he acted the way he did", Albus added.
"Hmm, I never expected the Malfoy's to be on our side. You're sure they are not double spying, like Severus is. But, instead they are for the dark?"
"The Malfoy's are defiantly apart of our side. Lucius was sucked in with the Dark Lord the way I was. Believe it or not, we were actually all good friends with the Potters", Severus said nodding toward Harry. Harry seemed to pale slightly.
"So, are we stuck in just this part of the house?" Ron asked, trying to change the subject for Harry's sack.
"No, no. You three may roam the house as your please. Severus and I will go out into the house more since you three know the situation now. We have placed a charm on the house, so if anyone is approaching, apparating, or flooing in it will alert us. Then, Severus and I will come back up here, seeing as it is a welcome guest. But, I would like you four to stay in the bedroom that Severus and I have created. It would be good for the four of you to become well acquainted, since you will be working closely together", Albus said happily.
"Alright, where exactly in the house are we?" I had actually been wondering about that since we all started speaking.
"Fourth floor", Snape replied.
"Um, there isn't a fourth floor."
Albus smiled, "Exactly. It can't been seen from the outside and it can only been accessed from the inside if you are in the closet in Harry's bedroom. You have to face the wall and tap five feet off the floor and five feet over to the right, from the center of the wall. As you tap you must murmur 'cockroach cluster'."
Ew, gods, I hope we change that password.
"I think that's enough for now, I believe breakfast is in order", Severus said, getting up.
Well, this next year is going to be far more interesting then I thought. Perhaps we have more of a chance of survival then I imagined.
-review please! thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter and the chapters are longer after this one.