Albus Dumbledore was feeling slightly more in control as he apparated to the Burrow with Harry Potter, having retrieved the boy from his relatives with no complications and also having successfully recruited a Potions Professor for the upcoming school year, a possible future Order member to boot. Horace Slughorn had always been rather reluctant to choose a side, his greed and thirst for connections making him wary of severing ties with the purebloods, but he had always avoided joining up with Voldemort out of sheer cowardice. Dumbledore wondered what he could do over the course of the school year in order to ensure Slughorn's cooperation and loyalty, as well as convince him to divulge a few closely held secrets.
His train of thought was interrupted as they arrived at their destination. It was nearly six, and he expected that the rest of the Order was likely already gathered and waiting. It had been quite some time since he had held a full meeting, and they were likely all wondering the purpose of this one, as well as about its unusual venue. Though Sirius was still currently living at 12 Grimmauld Place, Dumbledore had decided to stop using it as Headquarters, as he was unsure of its security, despite the Fidelius Charm. Technically, Sirius had been disowned, and with Bellatrix out of Askaban and the official head of the Black family, it was quite possible she would be able to find and infiltrate the house. He was planning on speaking with Sirius and possibly the twins after the meeting, thinking that if they abandoned the house and took down the Fidelius, they could set up some sort of charm to be able to spy on the Death Eaters, should Bellatrix choose to reclaim the old Black house and return there.
He hadn't told Harry yet about the situation with Hermione, not wanting to be alone with the boy when he did. In a room full of Order members and curious Weasleys, he would be able to avoid any questions he didn't want to answer by quite simply answering a different question of the no doubt many he would receive. There would no doubt be an uproar, but he was confident that they would see reason and that he could convince them of the futility of trying to rescue Hermione.
Harry had been surprised to say the least when Albus Dumbledore had appeared earlier that day in Little Whinging, but it was shaping up to be a good, if slightly strange day. It was always a good day when he was able to leave his Aunt and Uncle's place after a long summer of being treated like a particularly low ranking house elf. He was quite sure that some of the hand me downs he received were in worse shape than the pillowcases worn by the little elves. Harry was enthusiastic about seeing Ron again, and was hoping to hear that Hermione would be joining them soon, as she was prone to do the last few weeks of every summer. Hogwarts Letters would be arriving soon, and it was almost time for another trip to Diagon Alley to buy school supplies. Professor Dumbledore had mentioned something about an Order meeting, and hearing the commotion when they entered the burrow made Harry realize that something was amiss. Everyone was here, and no one seemed to know why.
"Harry, dear! Good to see you my boy, run along to the kitchen and find yourself something to eat, dinner will be served after, of course, but you're no more than skin and bones!"
Harry accepted the proffered hug from Mrs. Weasley before doing as suggested and making his way towards the kitchen. It was quite crowded, the Burrow being not very large there were Order members and Weasleys in every room, speaking loudly and speculating on the purpose of the meeting. He was unsurprised to find Ron as one of the occupants of the kitchen, the redheaded boy's eyes lighting up as he spotted his best friend.
"'arry! 'ou came wit Dumbledor righ? Whattdya thinks 'oing on?" Ron tried to speak through a mouthful of bread roll, and luckily after 5 years in school with Ron, Harry was quite adept at understanding him despite the way he spoke with his mouth full.
"I don't know, Ron. Professor Dumbledore brought me here, but he didn't explain why there was a meeting. Reckon Hermione is coming as well?" Harry asked, eager to see his brunette best friend again. He hadn't heard from her at all during the summer, which was quite odd. He and Ron had been exchanging letters, so he knew that for once there was nothing stopping him from receiving owl post.
Ron, having swallowed his roll, shrugged his shoulders and was about to answer Harry when a commotion in the dining room drew there attention. It seemed that the meeting was about to start. They rushed in, still quite disbelieving that they were actually going to be allowed in the meeting, and not wanting to push their luck by arriving late or drawing any unnecessary attention to themselves.
The room was packed to the limit, people sitting on every available surface as well as leaning along the walls and standing in the doorways. Harry and Ron found a place to stand in a corner by the twins and Nymphandora Tonks, who was looking much less cheerful than normal, her face strangely blank, as if she were hiding her emotions, which was atypical for the usually expressive witch. Harry could tell that she knew something, but before he could open his mouth to ask, Dumbledore cleared his throat and the occupants of the room fell silent.
"Good evening. It is good to see all of you, though I wish it was under better circumstances. I am terribly sorry to have to impart some very sad news, about one of our own. I ask that you listen to the full story, and not to interrupt until I am finished, though I understand that it will be difficult and you all will doubt have many questions."
He looked around the room, it was silent enough to hear a pin drop and he could tell he had the full attention of everyone in the room. Those who already knew, such as Minerva, Severus, and Tonks had solemn looks on their faces, and those who didn't were looking increasingly nervous.
"As some of you may already know, Miss Granger received an unusual gift by owl, shortly after Christmas last year. She received a House Ring, and the poor dear, being a muggleborn, had no idea, of course, of its significance. It was meant for her, and there was old magic at play, so she put it on, effectively binding her to the darkest witch of the age. It was sent to her by Bellatrix Black. As of now I still am unsure of exactly how Miss Granger came to be betrothed to Miss Black, but I am assuming an old marriage contract was in play. Either she was adopted, or her muggle parents could possibly be squibs, but that is of little importance now. In the absence of a male heir, the Black Family magic has accepted Bellatrix as the rightful heir and head of the family, as such she is obligated to marry and have an heir of her own, lest the family die out."
There was a low murmur in the room, the occupants all turning to each other, shocked at the news about Hermione and eager to speculate on exactly which alternative it was. Had she been betrothed through an old marriage contract, unfulfilled during one generation by a squib birth and passed down until she was born, a witch, and it could be fulfilled? Or was she adopted, and had been betrothed as an infant by her pureblooded birth parents? Dumbledore cleared his throat, and silence fell over the room again.
"Miss Granger came to me for advice, and I helped her as much as I could, shielding her from letters and gifts sent to try and manipulate her. I kept the information about the ring at the engagement to myself and a few others, trying to prevent Miss Granger from being hurt by the association. This is why most of you are hearing about this for the first time, just now, I was trying to protect her. I sent Miss Tonks to watch over Miss Granger over the summer, we warded her home and did all we could to protect her. I had believed that she would be safe, and that no attempts would be made to retrieve her until her 17th birthday in September, and by that time she would have been safely at Hogwarts. When Miss Tonks awoke this morning, she found the wards down and Miss Granger missing. We suspect Miss Black herself was the one to take Hermione. Auror Tonks informed me immediately, and shortly after receiving her Patronus, I received a letter from the Ministry, confirming my worst fears."
Dumbledore paused, letting the tension in the room rise. He could see Harry and Ron's livid and worried faces, the way they gripped their wands as if already preparing for a fight. The rest of the order members had varying reactions. He noticed Minerva's pinched expression – he would have to speak to her later, knowing she disapproved of him keeping so much from the rest of the Order, but he couldn't risk word of the second prophecy getting out. He had, of course, informed her, Severus, and Mad-Eye about Hermione's prophecy, but he didn't see an advantage to telling the rest of the Order about it until absolutely necessary.
As far as most of the senior members Order knew, there was only one prophecy, the prophecy regarding Harry and the Dark Lord, which been taken by the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries, before it could be heard. They knew it detailed Harry's destiny to vanquish the Dark Lord, but not the exact wording. The children, who had been there to hear the prophecy, had their memories modified so that they couldn't remember anything at all about the event or even the existence of the prophecy. He knew that someday, inevitably some of the secrets would come out. Only he and Severus knew the full truth of the first prophecy, not even Minerva and Moody knew how it ended.
The kids would no doubt hear about their adventures at the Ministry at some point, and likely would be upset with him for removing the memory, but it was for the greater good. He was trying to protect them, and removing the memories of the event protected them from themselves, their own failures. They hadn't seen the trap they walked into, and they let the Death Eaters take the prophecy. If Harry remembered the prophecy, if he puzzled through it and realized its meaning, he would be burdened by his destiny. Dumbledore wanted Harry to live as full and happy of a life as possible, so that when it came time for the final sacrifice, Harry would understand, would accept and embrace his death, for the greater good of their kind.
"Unfortunately, I could not have foreseen it, but Miss Granger somehow came of age early, possibly indicating an adoption – her muggle birth certificate may have been wrong, but the trace would have been attached to her true birth date. A leak in the Ministry must have informed Lord Voldemort or Bellatrix. The letter I received was from the Deparment of Records, and confirmed the marriage of Miss Granger to Bellatrix Black. As most of you know, magical marriage is very powerful, especially with the rituals and magics used in the traditional pureblood bondings. Miss Granger, now Madame Black, will be heavily influenced by Bellatrix, not just by proximity, but by the magic of the bonding as well. If Bellatrix has not already managed it, it will not take long before she has completely corrupted Hermione. I would venture that even if we could manage a successful rescue mission, which would be highly difficult as we do not even know where they are, Hermione wouldn't welcome the rescue. She is undoubtedly no longer the same girl we once knew."
Harry couldn't contain himself any longer. He was bloody pissed, his best friend had been taken by the Death Eaters and they were all sitting around here, doing nothing. And Dumbledore wanted them to just leave her, just let them have her?! Maybe she wouldn't want to be rescued, but they could save her anyways, could make her remember who she was.
"We can't just do nothing! She's my best friend, she's saved my life loads of times, I'd be dead five times over if it wasn't for her. She's strong, so strong, there's no way she'd let Bellatrix turn her to the Dark Lord! She can fight this, I'm sure she's fighting it, but we have to fight for her! We can't just leave her there, with them. She's a muggleborn, they'll hurt her!"
Ron was quick to jump in and agree, along with Ginny, the twins, and a few others. Minerva smiled tightly at her Gryffindors, proud they were standing up for their friend in a way she had tried, and failed. Maybe Dumbledore would listen to them. Unfortunately they were quickly silenced as Dumbledore raised a hand.
"Harry, my boy, I am so very sorry. I know Miss Granger was very important to you, and I fear that is exactly what the Dark Lord is betting on. He will expect you to rescue her, and will try to kill you in the process. I'm afraid I can't let you sacrifice yourself, to save a friend, who is beyond saving. I do not believe they will hurt her physically, as the ring and betrothal indicate that she is, in fact, a pureblood. As head of the Black family, Bellatrix has immense status and power. Hermione, as her wife, now shares some of that, which should protect her in some ways from any other Death Eaters who might still resent her. I believe that Hermione will return to Hogwarts in the fall, unharmed, at least physically."
Harry brightened up a bit at that, thinking that Hermione would be able to hold on to herself, her goodness until Hogwarts, and that being back with Harry and her friends, they could help her fight against the darkness. She could be okay, they would save her. Dumbledore saw the hopeful look on Harry's face, and continued before he could get any ideas.
"However, Bellatrix will have extreme power over her wife, the old marriage bonds make it so. Even without magic, Bellatrix is an experienced seductress, she has always used her looks and her body to manipulate others into bending to her will. If the rumors are to be believed, she's a frequent visitor of the Dark Lord's bed, among others, helping her rise to such a position of power in the hierarchy. Now that will change, obviously, as marriage bonds require fidelity, but her skills are nonetheless there. With the help of the marriage bonds, she will be able to manipulate Hermione physically, emotionally, and even magically. She will be able to make Hermione crave her body and her magic, need her emotionally, and even believe that she loves her. She will be able to manipulate Hermione's magic, darken it, and use it for her own aims. When Hermione returns to Hogwarts, she will be, essentially, a puppet with Bellatrix pulling the strings. This is why, if she does in fact return, she will be resorted into Slytherin, and I will have to ask you all to stay away from her. I do not wish her any harm, but she will not be able to be saved, or to be trusted. Tonight, we mourn for Miss Granger. Take as much time as you need, work through your grief, remember the happy times with your friend. Miss Granger is gone, and when we next encounter Madame Black, she will no longer be the girl we once knew and loved."
Harry felt tears welling in his eyes, matching quite a few others around the room. His were not only out of sadness, but also out of frustration. Something wasn't right, he was missing something. It was all too much, he wished Hermione was here, she always had a way of making things make sense. He would have to talk to Ron, and talk to the twins and Ginny later. Dumbledore and the Order might be giving up on his friend, but he knew Hermione better than that. She was much too stubborn to be influenced like that, much too strong to be turned dark so quickly. They would make a plan, and they would save her.