Finally caught a break between vacation, Olympics, and Shark Week to edit/post. Enjoy.

It took Ron, Hermione, and Remus to hold Harry down.

"You bastard!" Harry cried, lunging at Severus. "You killed Sirius and now you've got Dumbledore ousted!"

"Harry, stop!" Hermione cried, struggling to pull him back down on the sofa at Grimmauld Place. "You know Professor Snape is on our side, you know that the Board of Governors made this decision, now sit down!"

Severus bit back a chuckle at how much she sounded like Molly Weasley. She definitely had her "mother" voice down. He pitied the poor man who would be fool enough to marry her someday. Being on the receiving end of that tone of voice had never been particularly pleasant to him.

"Harry," Remus said gently as Severus rolled his eyes at what he considered to be the excessive coddling of the Boy Wonder, "It's true. I know that… I know that Sirius's death was difficult. It was difficult for all of us. But we can't all turn on each other. Not now. Severus is on our side, just as you are, just as Ron is, just as Hermione is, just as I am. We all need to work together."

Harry eyed Severus coldly. His professor returned the expression. Hermione did a bad job of hiding her sigh of exasperation at the immaturity of both.

Albus Dumbledore, at long last, finally spoke.

"Harry," he said, "Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger." He looked at each one in turn when he spoke. "The blame for Sirius's death lies with me, and me alone. Had I informed you of what was occurring, of what I feared might happen, had I shared the information… I daresay you would not have traveled to the Ministry, and Sirius would likely still be alive today. Sirius's death is on my head, Harry, not Severus's. If you wish to lay blame on someone, lay it on me."

Harry averted his eyes. "I can't do that, Professor. I know you had your reasons for what you were doing. I should have trusted you. I…"

Hermione took his hand. "You were under You-Know-Who's influence, Harry. You were a different person this last year."

"I still can't shut him out," Harry admitted. "I can feel him in my mind. I can hear him in my head. I can see him in my dreams." His voice sounded strangled as he looked at Severus. "I really did try, Professor, I really did. I didn't want him in my mind. I don't want him in my mind. But I can't do it."

Severus sighed. "I suppose that your instruction on the subject was rather more circumscribed than it should have been," he admitted. He added nothing else. This was all he was willing to admit. This was all he would ever admit.

"I have learnt that it is far preferable to lay the cards on the table," Dumbledore said. "I do not wish you to operate with incomplete information, Harry. Not only is it reckless of me to simply ask you to take my word for things, but it is utterly unfair to you. It is you who were unwittingly and unwillingly born into the center of this conflict. You deserve to know the truth, the full and complete truth. From all of us."

He turned to Minerva, Remus, and Severus. "Your professors, the ones in the order, have all agreed to share with you any and all information you require. I would ask that you hold your questions for now, and simply let them share what they have agreed to share.

"By doing this, you three will be full members of the Order. This entails great power but also requires great responsibility. You have all proven powerful and brave on the field of battle. Now you must learn the complexity of the situation, the risks involved, and the gravity and importance of trusting your comrades in arms. You are to trust each person in this room with your life. You will share nothing of this beyond the circle of people you see before you now. If you cannot do this, cannot swear to it fully and completely, then I fear I must modify your memories and pretend that this meeting never occurred."

He looked to the three Gryffindors. "What say each of you?"

They each looked to each other before nodding in the affirmative, Ron hesitating before agreeing.

"I will have your right hands," Dumbledore said. "Put them in the center." They did as instructed, and Dumbledore placed his hand upon theirs. Minerva stepped forward and held her wand over them.

"Will you, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley, pledge your fealty and loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix, above and beyond everything else?"

"I will," they said in unison. A bright rope of flame wrapped around their hands.

"Will you trust and place your faith in the comrades you see in this room, putting aside your personal differences for the sake of the cause?"

"I will." Another flame.

"Will you place the needs of the Order above your personal needs, including, but not limited to, your lives?"

"I will." Another flame.

The three rings of flame wrapped and intertwined, before disappearing.

"I knew I could count on you," Dumbledore said kindly. He gestured to the other three adults.

Minerva cleared her throat. "I suppose I will begin. You know that I am in the Order and Albus's deputy at Hogwarts. That extends to the Order as well. However, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named does not know this. Severus has ensured that."

"The Dark Lord," Severus explained, "believes the Order is run as a cell-based organization; no member knows the full extent of the membership, or the leadership structure beyond his or her own immediate superior. That is not how the Order operates, as you well know."

"As the figurehead and leader of the Order, there is a target on my back and a price on my head," Dumbledore said. "As a result, I must have my successor named and prepared. My successor must also be safeguarded. Much of Severus's work has been reporting the activities we wish him to report, obtaining the information we need him to obtain, and hiding Minerva's involvement. Voldemort does not know that Severus is in the Order. He believes that Severus is only the spy of my own activities at Hogwarts."

"The Dark Lord has also concluded that Minerva is not in the Order," Severus explained. "As she was conveniently in St. Mungo's during your little 'excursion,' this has been cemented."

"With Albus no longer Headmaster," Remus said, "Severus's value to Voldemort has gone down considerably. He has managed to convince him that he can deliver Hogwarts to Voldemort. However, Voldemort lacks trust in Severus. He needs another spy at Hogwarts, one who can double as a spy for the Order."

He hesitated. "That person will be me."

"You mean…" Harry said.

Remus nodded. "I am coming back to Hogwarts as a professor."

The smile on Harry's face vanished as Remus continued speaking.

"I will be presented as a new recruit and an Order defector to Voldemort tomorrow."

Hermione looked horrified. "But you'll have to take the Mark."

Remus nodded, looking grave.

"Yes," he said. "I will."

Many moments passed before anyone said anything.

"Oh, Remus," Harry said brokenly.

"Please," Remus said, holding up a hand. "We will speak of it later, if you wish, but for now, please trust that this is the right decision. Minerva, Severus, Albus, and I have all discussed it. It is the right thing to do. It is necessary."

He looked at them imploringly. "We all do what is necessary."

He met Severus's eye, and the dark man cleared his throat before speaking.

"In my role as Headmaster, I will inform you now that the school will be a very different place than the one we have all called home these last years. The Dark Lord believes that I am working to convert the staff of Hogwarts to his side; with Hogwarts in his pocket, he will have influence, power, and legitimacy. Combined with the Ministry, he will have much of our world in his pocket.

"To appear that I am working toward this end, I regret that I will eventually have to implement policies that will appear malicious, prejudiced, and unfair."

"That's a change," Ron muttered sarcastically, earning him a punch in the arm from Hermione, who reached over Harry to do it.

Severus ignored them. "Every single one I will have to implement is done after great deliberation and with the furtherance of the Cause in mind. You have all no doubt noticed that I favored Slytherin students in class; this will now expand to the school as a whole. Slytherins will be given first choice in everything, and preference in everything. This is in keeping with what many will suspect of me, and allow the children whose families have Death Eater connections to show that I am furthering their ideology.

"It is with great regret," he said honestly, "that Muggle-born students will have their status and rights slowly and gradually diminished. Miss Granger, I apologize to you that you will likely not be allowed to attend Hogwarts past this year. Much as you agitate and annoy and infuriate me, I have never believed in limiting opportunities for wizards and witches of your background. For that I am truly sorry."

Hermione's face fell. Harry took her hand, while Ron moved to her other side and placed her arm around her.

"If it can be avoided, it will," Severus continued. "I expect that students will resist the slow and gradual reduction in status. I expect the three of you to play your roles by resisting me. By forming student groups who will fight it. These will be officially outlawed as term progresses. You will defy that. I will appear to attempt to restrain you. This will be a dance that we must choreograph very carefully. Potter, you are a figurehead for the Light. You must continue to fulfill that role at Hogwarts by fighting me. We will coordinate this in secret." He paused and looked at each one searchingly. "Do you understand?"

The three hesitated, but nodded, tears forming in Hermione's eyes. "I understand, sir," she said softly. "I just hate that it needs to happen." Ron tightened his hold on her, and she leaned into his touch. "I'll find a way to complete my education," she said resolutely.

"I have no great affection for you, Miss Granger, but I hate that our world will enter this period of darkness. I do hate to see talent and potential wasted, even among insufferable know-it-alls."

She nodded shakily.

Albus cleared his throat. "There will be more, many more, discussions of this nature. But perhaps there have been enough revelations for one evening?"

The three teenagers nodded shakily. Harry sat motionless, his thousand-yard stare the physical manifestation of the myriad of emotions coursing through him. Hermione stood, aided by Ron, who walked her from the room and up the stairs. After many long moments, Harry rose and left the room without a word.

"I hope we did the right thing," Minerva said. "So much for such young people to take in all at once."

"The world is more than anyone to take in these days," Remus said. "Hiding the truth only hurt things. It was a disaster. I think they've learnt from their experiences, and that informing them of everything is better than allowing them to fill the gaps." He shrugged. "They were never going to have an easy year, anyway. At least now they understand the situation."

None of them really were certain they would believe it.

Ron held Hermione firmly by the waist as he guided her to her room at the end of the corridor. Since Ginny wasn't here, she had the room to herself. As did he.

"Shh," he whispered as Hermione wept softly. He opened the door and gently led set her down on the bed, kneeling before her, eye to eye. "You'll finish your education, Hermione. And hopefully you won't have to leave Hogwarts. We'll figure something out. We'll stop this. I promise."

Hermione wanted to believe him desperately.

"It's just… it's a lot to take in, you know? We knew the world would be changing, but I don't think I realized just how much," she said shakily.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Hermione, and it won't if we can prevent it."

"I hope you're right."

"Hermione, I…" Ron hesitated. Hermione was clearly vulnerable, and so was he. At the same time, he was more aware of his mortality than he'd ever been before. Seeing Hermione in that hospital bed, watching her fall, feeling himself hexed, knowing Sirius had been killed…

Every moment was precious. It was time to stop wasting them.

Seizing whatever Gryffindor courage he had, he closed his eyes and leaned in, pressing his lips to Hermione's. She stilled at first, holding her breath, and then responded eagerly.

For a long time they explored each other's mouths, inexperienced though they were. Neither one had ever really done this before. Neither one had wanted to practice on anyone else. They had each been terrified the other would say no. They'd been even more terrified the other would say yes.

Now, in Hermione's bedroom, late in the evening, those fears all suddenly seemed very silly.

After what seemed like endless minutes they drew apart, leaning their foreheads together.

"What happens now?" Hermione whispered.

Ron chuckled. "I don't know," he said. "But I know I don't want to go back to the way things were."

"Neither do I," she said softly. "But I don't think this is the best time to start a relationship. The world is turning upside-down, and we're on the front line of a war."

"Exactly," Ron said, kissing her quickly. "Exactly. We could die tomorrow. And yes, this is a terrible time to even think of doing this.

He inhaled. "But it may never be the right time."

"We can't get distracted by each other. We have to be here for Harry, for the rest of them."

"We can still be here for Harry, Hermione. You and I always have. Even when we were at each other's throats, we were always here for him. We can be here for him like this, too."

Hermione felt the tears welling in her eyes again. She knew she was being a crybaby, but damnit it was all too much tonight. "I do want to be with you, Ron. I've wanted that for five years."

"Hermione…" Ron pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers again, more confidently than he had before, more skilled than he had been just minutes earlier. He did his best to still himself, keep himself under control, not to push things too far, too fast.

"Stay with me tonight," she whispered.

Ron's face went white and he swallowed hard. "St… stay in here? With you?" He shifted uncomfortably. "Hermione, I don't want to rush things…"

"Neither do I," she said. "So we won't. I just don't want to sleep alone tonight. I don't know if I can sleep otherwise, wondering if I'll ever have a place in this world anymore." She looked at him beseechingly. "Please stay."

He nodded, not trusting himself to touch her again or to say anything. He revered Hermione, always had. His insensitive remarks and immature antics over the years had been borne of the frustration of wanting desperately to impress a girl who was better than him at everything and in every way. As it turned out, she wanted him just for him. There was nothing he wouldn't do to keep that.

Nothing.

Lying side by side—Ron on top of the covers, Hermione under them—he reached out and held Hermione's hand.

"You'll always have a place in this world, Hermione," he whispered. "You'll always have a place with me."

Ron tiptoed out of Hermione's room just before dawn and made his way down to his own. He crept quietly, not wanting to attract the attention of anyone in the house. He'd been honorable with her, not touching her in any sexual way, merely sleeping beside her and providing comfort as she'd asked. He hadn't even kissed her, or attempted to kiss her. He'd held her hand all night. She'd slept; he hadn't. He preferred to watch her sleep, remembering how she tasted. No, they'd take it slow. They were under no more illusions; people died in this world. People they knew. He'd protect her and care for her. This wasn't about their hormones or their fantasies. It was about being there for each other.

But he didn't fancy explaining that to anyone.

He was so preoccupied with keeping quiet that he failed to notice a pair of eyes staring at him, a smirk on his face.

Hermione, being first to the kitchen, put the kettle on and stared blankly out the window at the garden outside. It was grey and foggy, like most London mornings. She had taken in much in the past twenty-four hours. What saddened her the most was not what she had already learnt, but rather the knowledge that this was only the beginning.

She sighed.

Taking the screaming kettle off the stove and filling the teapot, she was lost in her thoughts when she turned around and nearly scalded herself at the surprise of finding her potions professor sitting at the table.

"Good morning, Professor," she said softly, averting her eyes. She set the teapot before him and returned to the counter to grab the sugar, milk, and a second cup. "Tea?"

He nodded.

She sat down across from him. Normally, the idea of sharing her morning tea with Severus Snape would have been unusual. But given everything that had happened in the last day—hell in the last few weeks—she decided to go with it.

They sat in silence, contemplating the cups before them. She wondered why he didn't leave. She wondered why she didn't leave.

The silence was killing her. She had to break it somehow.

"Thank you, sir," she said.

He looked up at that. "For what?"

"Telling us the truth. Not sugar-coating anything. For trusting us."

"It has nothing to do with trust, Miss Granger," he said icily. "We discovered that withholding information from the three of you is reckless. Withholding information from you directly led to a man's death. Next time, it might be the death of someone less expendable than Black. We couldn't afford to take that risk. It was to keep the Order, and the members of the Order, alive."

He stood, glaring down at her. She ducked her head. Smirking, he made to leave but stopped at the last moment.

"Just one more thing, Miss Granger," he said. "If you and Mr. Weasley are going to fornicate in this house, your lover would do well to borrow Potter's Invisibility Cloak when sneaking out in the morning. It is none of my business, but do you really think that Molly Weasley will be as accommodating as I if she were to find out?"

Hermione was speechless and struggled to sputter out, "You… you were spying on us?"

He scoffed at that. "I assure you, Miss Granger, that I have no interest in what you and Weasley do, nor do I wish to. I also assure you that I have no desire to stalk the corridors of Headquarters. Let me just say that, in this house, the walls have eyes, and ears, and they talk."

Phineas, Hermione deduced. She would have to Silence that portrait. Literally.

"Good day to you, Miss Granger," Professor Snape said, giving her a mock bow before departing, leaving a shell-shocked Hermione in his wake.

"That was cruel," Remus said, standing cross-armed just outside the kitchen door.

"Your first lesson as a spy, Remus: denying yourself the little pleasures in life will doom you. Take opportunities as they come."

"You're despicable."

"I know." He gave Remus a look of complete indifference. "Now, do you intend to continue stalling by lecturing me on the appropriateness of my comments to Miss Granger, or are you ready to seize that vaunted Gryffindor bravery and come with me to meet your new Lord?"

"I'm not stalling!"

"And yet here we stand, not moving."

Remus wanted to rise above the taunt, but it was impossible. He glared at Severus, betraying the predator within, before storming out the front door, marching toward, he hoped, his destiny, rather than his own death.

I suppose the rest of the Order should have been at that meeting, but meh. I liked having a smaller group of our core heroes. Plus, I really don't like Molly Weasley as a character, and I didn't want her cockblocking Ron and Hermione. Which she totally would have.

EDIT (because I apparently have to say this until I'm blue in the face): Yes, this is an SSHG. But if you're looking for a story where characterization and canon are completely disregarded and these two fall into bed within five chapters while Hermione is underage, you've come to the wrong place.