A/N: well here's the last chapter I have written so far. It hasnt been changed so those who kept up with the story before it was deleted and reposted have already read it. I promise to upload as soon as possible but it may be some time because I am going to be away from a computer for awhile.
Chapter Six: The First Warning
Hermione came to during the early morning, as the sunlight just began to seep through the windows in the hospital wing. She felt a warm, heavy feeling on her arm and jerked herself up just to realize that it was Draco laying asleep next to her bed, his head resting on her arm. The jerking awoke Draco as well who immediately engulfed her in a warm and tight embrace.
"Are you feeling alright Mia? Do you need anything? You hungry? I can get you some breakfast." Draco sputtered only to be cut off by Hermione's small giggle at Draco's overwhelming need to take care of her.
"Honey, I'm fine. Really." Hermione told him, smiling. She glanced around the room. "Where's Alex?"
"With her godfather." Draco replied. Hermione looked at him puzzled so he elaborated. "Ron." Hermione smiled.
An hour later the couple was leaving the hospital wing on their way towards their temporary rooms when Minerva came hustling around the corner and almost ran smack into them, almost knocking Hermione to the ground but luckily Draco caught her and kept her up on her feet. Minerva looked distraught.
"Oh thank goodness, I was just coming to see you." Minerva said quickly. "I'm afraid there's been an attack."
Draco and Hermione looked at each other nervously and followed hastily after Minerva who rushed off towards her office, motioning for them to follow. As the threesome rushed through the gargoyle portal and up into the Headmistress' office, they noticed that they were not the only ones there. Already present in her office were Lupin, Tonks, Jeremy Donavon, and Ron, who Hermione and Draco both immediately jumped on because he was supposed to be watching over Alexis.
"What are you doing here Weasley!" Draco practically yelled at the redhead. "Where is our daughter!"
"I assure you that Alexis is perfectly safe, Draco." Minerva interrupted. "She has been taken to Grimmauld Place where Bethany Monroe is watching over her. It is the safest place to be right now."
The couple calmed down a bit and took the spare seats that were located slightly off to the left of the Headmistress' desk. The others in the room looked apprehensive but Hermione noticed that Ron looked more unnerved than the others, but before she had a chance to ask Ron what was wrong, Minerva spoke up to fill the couple in on what was happening.
"Earlier today, we received notice that two young girls, who were both members of the Daughters of Osiris," Minerva began, causing Hermione to shoot Draco a look of confusion.
How do they know about the Daughters? Hermione thought to herself but before she could voice her question, Minerva continued.
"Have been found dead just outside of the Monroe Mansion just outside of Salisbury. Twin cousins of former Hogwarts student Roger Davies…." Minerva continued but Hermione spaced out.
She suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of nausea come over her at the words 'twins' and 'Davies'. Jessica and Jasmine were only 17 years old, barely of legal age in the wizarding world. Hermione felt her head begin to spin and the world became hazy. She was barely conscious to the fact that she had begun to sway in her seat as her dizziness overcame her until she found herself lying on the floor of Minerva's office, Draco kneeling beside her looking down at her worriedly. Hermione felt the back of her head where she realized she now had a growing lump (obviously from where she must have hit her head when she fainted) and tried to get back to her feet, Draco helping her immensely. Draco helped her back into her seat and the other occupants of the room looked to her to make sure she was alright before continuing with the discussion.
"As I was saying…Miss Granger, are you sure that you are alright?" Minerva began again looking concernedly at Hermione who was still looking a bit flushed. She simply nodded curtly.
Minerva continued. "The Order, along with the D.O., have decided to increase security and protection around Hermione and her family now because of a note left with the bodies of the young girls." She glanced at a bloody looking piece of parchment.
"This is your first warning." She read gravely. "Next time, it will be your family."
There was an audible gasp from the far corner where Tonks was standing beside Lupin. Hermione also paled immensely (which wasn't much considering she still hadn't fully recovered from her initial shock over the deaths of the twins). Draco saw her reaction and immediately pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Hermione nuzzled her face into his shoulder and willed the frightened tears that had begun to swell up behind her eyes to stay put.
She had had enough of this psycho analogical bull from Voldemort, that's all it was to him. He didn't care about his 'victims', to him they were only pawns in his great obsession to gain immortality. He expected Hermione to simply bow down and kiss his feet, give him whatever he wanted even after destroying her best friend and many of those whom she held so dear.
Now I know how Harry felt…Hermione thought to herself gravely.
She had to stop it, she had to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING. She had to get that book from him and hopefully in doing that it would finally stiffen his attempts at her and her now family. Taking a few deep breaths as she clutched to Draco, she determinedly set her resolve (well as best as she could given the situation) and sat up straight, turning her attention and focus towards the rest of the occupants of the room, who appeared to be almost as distraught and on-edge as she was.
"Ahem." She cleared her voice to obtain everyone's attention. They all looked at her with interest.
"I don't know about the rest of you," she began. "But I for one am growing increasingly sick and tired of all of Voldemort's games. That's all any of this is to him--a game for his own amusement. He needs to be stopped, once and for all. I don't want to hear about all this 'prophecy' crap either, he's a wizard. Albeit a powerful one, but he's not immortal--obviously or he wouldn't need me so badly. He can be dealt with and killed and I for one am growing wearisome sitting around and waiting for someone else to take care of it."
The occupants of the room all exchanged glances and one by one began nodding their heads in agreement, though still not quite sure where she was going with this discussion.
"We need to call a meeting," Hermione said sternly. "Now."
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Hermione stood in the doorway of her old room in Grimmauld Place a few hours later. Bethany had conjured up a make-shift nursery in the room while Alexis was there, since it was the safest place at the moment and the other Order members feared that it was not even safe to take the small child outside. It was a cool, crisp,January evening as Hermione watched her daughter playing on her tiny bed with an adorable doll that Draco had purchased for her.
Hermione couldn't believe how much time had passed and how much the beautiful little girl had grown up while she had been 'away'. It saddened her to know that she missed so much but she was here now and Hermione was bound and determined that she would never be away from her family again. Suddenly she felt a pair of strong arms slide around her waist and she leaned back against a strong frame.
"She's beautiful isn't she?" Draco asked from behind Hermione. She nodded solemnly.
"Are they ready downstairs?" Hermione asked quietly, not wanting to bother her daughter's happy playing.
"Yea, the rest of the members have just arrived. Remus told me to tell you they're ready whenever you are sweetheart." Draco responded, tightening his grip on her waist.
The couple turned their glance from their daughter and started to head down the stairs, their hands clasped together with an uneasy silence between them till Hermione spoke.
"She'll be safe right? I mean, she'll be taken care of if anything happens right?" Hermione whispered, stopping suddenly on the stairs. Draco stopped in front of her and turned around, pulling her close to him and looking into her eyes.
"Baby, nothing is going to happen. I swear to you that we will both be here with her, I will do everything in my power to make sure of it." Draco told her, seeing her fear in her honey-brown eyes. After a few moments, Hermione nodded and the couple kissed lovingly and continued down the stairs.
As they entered the dining room they found it surprisingly bare and continued into the larger living room which was packed almost full of Order members, almost more than Hermione could ever remember seeing…at least at one time. All the usual members were there, Ron, Neville, Moody, Tonks, Lupin of course, as well as Blaise Zabini and Jeremy Donavon. Viktor was there as well as were what seemed to be a couple other Bulgarians that Hermione figured had come with him.
As soon as Draco and Hermione entered the room, the room exploded in gasps and shocked voices from those who hadn't seen her or believed the news yet. Viktor looked like he had small tears in his dark brown eyes as he rushed to her and, ignoring Draco's obvious distaste, pulled Hermione from her fiancé and into an almost bone-crushing embrace.
"My gods, Mione." Viktor said very quietly into her hair so only she could hear him, since he had leaned down a bit to embrace her. "It felt like my heart was breaking when I heard you were dead. But here you are, back in my life once again."
Hermione was slightly stunned. Sure she had dated Viktor for awhile when he had come to Hogwarts during her fourth year and then into the summer but they had parted on good terms due to the distance between them, what with his traveling with his Quidditch team after he graduated and whatnot. But she had never heard such emotion from him during all the time they'd been close friends and she wasn't quite sure exactly what to make of it.
After Viktor finally released her, she glanced towards Draco wondering if he'd possibly heard what Viktor said to her and caught him glancing at the Bulgarian seeker with intense loathing, a look she hadn't seen since back in school before Draco had joined the Order and would look at Ron and Harry with the same look.
She didn't have time to ponder on it much though because as soon as Viktor had backed up a little she was immediately engulfed in hug after hug from shocked Order members who had grown to know her and love her over the years like a member of the family. Last but not least, was Bethany, who now stood in front of her with a strange look on her face. During the months Hermione had spent at Bethany's home with the other Daughters, she had come to love Bethany as a sister, almost as if she had her best friend back again.
Bethany's strange façade suddenly broke into a huge smile and tears began to leak silently from her emerald green eyes as she practically jumped on Hermione, knocking her off balance slightly, engulfing her in a tight hug.
Finally all the commotion died down when Remus cleared his throat. All the members began settling themselves down and Hermione was able to find a seat next to Remus (where I might add was always where Harry was seated during meetings) that he had been motioning for her to take. After a few more moments, the sound finally died completely down and Remus was able to begin talking.
"First of all, let me start by welcoming back Hermione Granger, who has survived a very long eight month captivity by Voldemort and his Death Eaters to be with us once again. It appears that the article that was posted in the Daily Prophet four months ago was a staged as a ploy from Voldemort and his Death Eaters to throw us off. All that matters right now, however, is that Hermione is here and that she is safe." Remus addressed the Order who erupted in applause, showing their happiness at having her back.
"Now we need to get down to business. I am sure you are all by now aware of the devastating news that two young members of the Daughters of Osiris, the group we have been working with for the past year, were found brutally murdered outside of their headquarters last night. Voldemort left a note saying that this was the first warning. We must act now, we must bring Voldemort down once and for all. This is where I bring up Hermione who has a plan that just might work." Remus continued, motioning to Hermione who slowly stood up and set her resolve façade to show that she was intensely serious.
All attention turned to Hermione once again and she cleared her throat nervously.
"Okay, as you all know, Voldemort's main objective is to gain immortality and at the present time it appears that I am the only one standing in his way of his goal. The deaths of Jessica and Jasmine Davies were a wake up call for me. This cannot go on, Voldemort must be stopped once and for all."
Acknowledging and agreeing murmurs sprouted up throughout the room.
"Now, I have a plan. It is going to be immensely dangerous and there's a great possibility that we may lose many more, but this is war. This is what we are going to do." Hermione paused and took a deep breath, looking around the room, her eyes landing on Draco.
"First step: I am going to go back to Voldemort--alone."
