a/n: I will ignore all complaints about the length of this chapter. I understand it is shorter than most of my chapters, and there will be some of you that pout for that reason. =P (Were I in your place, I might also.) I'll see if I can finish editting the next chapter and post it tomorrow. Fair?

Hermione awoke from her rest feeling a little better. She assured herself that there was nothing else that could possibly happen that evening to upset her further, but she was wrong. When she returned with Draco after setting up monitoring spells on The Burrow and Malfoy Manor, Harry asked to speak with her. She accompanied him to the sitting room where the rest of the house was gathered. He apologized for making plans behind her back and vowed to never do so again, but his promise was not without condition. He assured her that it pained him to request it, but Harry insisted that she not leave Grimmauld Place unless her request was discussed and agreed upon by at least three other members of the Order of the Phoenix. To say that she was upset was an incredible understatement. Her prior outrage was nothing to the way she shouted her protests then. She looked to the others for support and felt betrayed when all of them seemed to side with Harry. Even Ginny, whom she'd counted on for support, believed that it was best for her to remain safe at Grimmauld Place.

Harry tried his best to explain himself but when he compared her situation with that of Sirius, when it was necessary for him to remain in the headquarters, she only became more enraged. It was not until Harry had threatened to place her under official house arrest, wards and all, that she resentfully surrendered.

Determined not to subject herself to any further emotional distress, Hermione returned to her room early, locking herself inside. The bottle of sleeping draught was still on the dresser from the night before and she consumed it eagerly. Draco would have to find somewhere else to sleep that night because she was not in the mood for anyone's company, including his.

When Friday morning dawned, Hermione awoke feeling a little better yet again. There was just something about sleep that allowed her to rise with a fresh start. That was not to say that she was not still bitter, only that the emotional ache had subsided somewhat. She was still quite upset with everyone for what she felt was an act of betrayal. She knew that they were doing it because they cared and wanted her to be safe, but she felt that they did not trust her judgment and lacked faith in her abilities.

It helped to see that she was not the only one whose comings and goings were monitored. Though she was, by far, the most restricted in the group, everyone's comings and goings were discussed. Ron, much to his mother's dismay, insisted upon returning to work. Harry agreed that it was a good idea because Ron had access to a lot of information and could keep an eye out for suspicious behavior. For his mother's sake, he swore not to go anywhere alone. Mr. Weasley also returned to work, but no one was really concerned as he would remain safe in his office at the Ministry. Ginny, of course, being Harry's girlfriend and the baby of the Weasley family, was watched nearly as closely as Hermione. She was given the right to go to her team practice that day, but only because Harry would escort her and would watch the entire time.

The heightened security over all the house's occupants helped Hermione to accept her position a little easier, but she was still bitter that they had stripped away her rights and her freedom. She knew it was because they cared, but it still felt like a punishment that she didn't deserve and it upset her.

They all watched her tentatively, waiting for her to approach them first, not wanting to upset her any more than they already had. She did not approach them though. She kept to herself most of the day, only allowing Aurelian's company. Harry was stunned when she spoke to him after breakfast, but it was very short and to the point. She had asked him to retrieve her research on the Fidelius Charm from the office, reminding him tartly that she would not be able to go herself. She walked away before he could answer, but only an hour later, he found her in the library and handed over the papers and books she had asked for. It was frustrating, monotonous work, but she had never appreciated it more. The difficulty of the work prevented her from thinking about other things. She was able to fully immerse herself in her books and translations. Aurelian came and went and Hermione was glad to take breaks to read, play, or sing with him.

As the hours passed, Hermione's bitterness whittled away. When the clock struck seven that evening and the two newest Order members, Katie and Blaise, arrived, Hermione finally joined the group. Katie and Blaise had already been filled in on the previous day's events and Blaise came bearing gifts for Aurelian: his old quidditch rug, brand new Tornadoes quidditch figurines to replace the ones that had been lost in the fire, and a new set of quidditch figurines of Blaise's favorite team, the Montrose Magpies, so Aurelian could play with two full teams. Aurelian was thrilled with his gifts and, much to Blaise's surprise, he launched at Blaise in an exuberant hug. Hermione smiled, glad to see Aurey so happy, but felt again for George. She was glad he wasn't there to see it. Aurelian had taken to another new face without reservation. Aurelian was slowly becoming more comfortable with George, but was still a little wary of him.

Once Aurelian's quidditch rug was set up in the sitting room, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Draco, and Ginny took Katie and Blaise up to the library to talk. Everyone felt the angry desire to bait Bellatrix and destroy her as soon as possible, but they knew it wouldn't be as simple as that. They knew that there were at least six death eaters under Bellatrix's command and were uncertain as to just how many there were in total. Just as concerning was the possibility that there might be more families in the same position as the Parkinsons. That was the reason they met that evening. Ron had picked up the forged letters from Dean and they needed to plan which family would receive the letter first and how it would be delivered. Katie had carefully and quite casually learned the work schedules of their targets. It was with that information that they were able to narrow it down to Mr. Greengrass and Healer Pucey who both worked weekends. In the end, it was decided that the following day, Katie would drop the letter off at Mr. Greengrass' place of work. The letter specified that the drop should be made at the same place, in the same amount, two days from the time the letter was received. Katie and Blaise, together, under the veil of an invisibility cloak, would wait for the drop to be made on Monday. The group considered waiting to send any other letters until the first mission was complete, but they feared wasting precious time. They knew that Bellatrix was already growing impatient and they were concerned for the families that were possibly in the same position as the Parkinsons. All in agreement, they decided that the next letter should be delivered on Sunday to Healer Pucey.

When the meeting adjourned, Hermione stayed behind to finish cleaning up the charm research she'd left out. Draco bid Blaise farewell at the library door and returned to the settee. Hermione had not spoken to him the whole day and he still wasn't sure what to say to her.

Hermione sighed, feeling, rather than seeing, his presence. She felt guilty. She didn't want to apologize for the things she said for she still did not believe that she was in the wrong. She had had enough time to calm down and accept the restrictions placed upon her, but she still did not wish to talk about it. Without a word, she sat directly beside him on the settee and entwined her fingers with his. Draco looked up at her in stunned silence, his mouth agape. She smiled softly and gently leaned against his shoulder. Draco's mouth opened and closed a few times as he struggled to find the right words to say. He had been shocked by her tender actions as she had been so cold and distant all day. He no longer knew where they stood… not that he had at any point that day. He spoke her name softly with the intent to explain himself and why he had sided with Potter. But, Hermione quietly cut him off, explaining that she was tired. Draco became filled with intense frustration once again, but when Hermione stood to leave, she did not let go of his hand. It took him a few moments to understand her actions, but he was overcome with great relief when he realized that she'd invited him to join her. She didn't want any explanations; she only wanted to drop the subject completely and move on. In short, to Draco, it was reassurance that she loved him no less.

For Hermione, Saturday morning went much like the day prior, only with less animosity on her part. After quietly eating her breakfast, she holed herself up in the library once more to continue her work on the Fidelius Charm. Libraries of any sort had always been a comfortable place for her to work, but she also chose that spot to avoid the others. It was no longer because she was upset with them; quite the contrary, she was no longer upset with them and therefore, feared lashing out at them unreasonably, for she was still in a snippy mood. The spell frustrated her, to say the least. She had worked on it for several hours the previous day and had barely made any progress. It was the hardest and most complex spell she had ever worked on and, by far, the most important. She knew she was close, but not finished. She didn't know what she was missing; the answer was right there in front of her somewhere, but it still eluded her. It was around noon when she finally snapped.

"Urgh! I can't do this!" she exclaimed suddenly, throwing her quill down on her parchment and shoving the table away from her.

"Take a break," Draco gently suggested. He had joined her in the library an hour before and quietly selected a book to read, content to just be near her.

"It's not that," she huffed in frustration. "Well, it is that, but it's that I just can't concentrate properly. My mind keeps drifting to everything else. This whole situation is just like this damned spell. The answers are all there, but it takes patience and diligence to figure it all out and I'm quite lacking in both right now!"

Draco marked his page with the attached silk bookmark and placed it on his chair before casually making his way over to her. Her muscles instantly began to relax when he started massaging her shoulders. "It's hard to sit around, waiting for answers," he agreed, "but some answers just can't be rushed."

"I know…" she sighed.

"Then give it a little break," he suggested again.

"Some answers you simply have to wait for, but this answer isn't going to come without work," she responded. Still feeling rather disgruntled with the mess of books and parchment on the table, she turned her eyes away from it and relaxed again under Draco's soothing touch. "I wish I still had that book on Morgan le Fay."

"Where did that come from?" Draco asked, puzzled by the random statement.

"Same conversation. Just more questions… puzzles that plague me," she answered. Draco had stopped his massage and Hermione leaned her head back against his stomach. "It can't be coincidence. The only book touched in that secret room was about Morgan le Fay, Morgana, and the ring Bellatrix wants more than anything else was rumored to be the ring of Morgana. I just wish I could see that book."

"You think that the ring might have been Morgana's then?" Draco asked in confusion.

"No, it couldn't have been Morgana's ring, but maybe Bellatrix believed it was? If your mother had heard that story, I'm sure Bellatrix had, too. I don't understand the importance of Morgana in all of this, but it's there and I swear that the answer lies in that book," Hermione stated with conviction. "Molly still has a key to my vault at Gringotts. Perhaps the twins could take some of my money and try to buy it for me. I don't know though… It was a rather old looking book. If I were to go myself, I might be able to find the same edition at Ub's Ancient Tomes."

"It was just a history book. What difference would the edition make?"

"It could mean a world of difference. I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, so I might have to search through numerous other books before it strikes me," she explained. "It bothers me though… Perhaps I will ask Fred and George to stop for me. I mean, unless you'd go out for me?" she asked hopefully.

"You know… I think I might be able to do you one better," Draco said with his trademark smirk hitching into place. "Why don't we go to an expert on the subject?"

"An expert? What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Pansy," Draco answered.

"Parkinson?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Pansy Parkinson. I can't imagine a better person to ask."

"She knows a lot about Morgana?" Hermione asked, trying her best not to sound skeptical so she didn't offend him.

"I can't imagine anyone knowing more," he replied. "I mean, she hasn't written any books or anything, but she probably could."

Hermione didn't answer. She was wondering if he might just be joking. He couldn't see her face, but seemed to guess her skepticism.

"You don't believe me, do you, Granger?" He asked, jokingly using her surname as he would if they were still in school. "You do know she's a historian, don't you?"

"Is she?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Yeah. The only person I knew that could stay awake in Binns's class besides a few Ravenclaws, and you I'd guess," he added as an afterthought. Slytherins had only ever had History of Magic with Ravenclaws, but he assumed that Hermione, being as studious as she was, had probably forced herself to stay awake. "Without Pansy's notes, I doubt I ever would have passed that class."

Hermione quickly realized how little she actually knew about Pansy Parkinson.

"Morgana isn't actually something that has anything to do with her job, though I'm sure she wishes it did. It's just been a special point of interest since… Merlin, I don't actually know when she started with it. I know Morgana was definitely popping up randomly in conversations by our fifth year. We started getting rather sick of hearing the name," Draco chuckled as he remembered all the times he and the guys rolled their eyes when Pansy simply mentioned the name. "You know, looking back, I think that's probably about the same time Pansy started changing her mind about muggle-borns."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Well, Morgana was muggle-born, you know?"

"Yes, I suppose she was," said Hermione. "I had never really considered that before."

"Really?" Draco asked with surprise. "I would have thought that as a witch and a muggle-born, you would have. I mean, Morgana is sort of a symbol of feminine power."

"Yeah, but I never really felt the need to prove myself as a woman or a muggle-born."

"Yeah, well, Pansy did. As a woman, I mean. See, in our group, among purebloods, there weren't really many expectations of her. In fact, the only real expectation people had of her was that she marry a pureblood wizard and give birth to pureblood babies. She was quite insulted by it, knowing she was capable of much more. Morgana was her hero… er, heroine," he corrected. "There are very few witches recorded throughout history and even fewer witches that were ever in positions of power. Learning more about Morgana fueled Pansy's desire to acquire greatness, to push herself beyond everyone's expectations."

Hermione didn't know much about Pansy, but she was quickly gaining respect for the witch. "And her hero being muggle-born caused her to start thinking of all muggle-borns differently?"

"Well, that might have been part of it. I don't think that Pansy ever really felt the same way about muggle-borns as me, Blaise, or our other friends. Her family believed much like my mother. They didn't hold any actual hatred of muggle-borns. They did consider themselves superior to them, but not in a harsh or cruel way. I hope that makes sense." At Hermione's nod, he continued. "She used the terms mudblood and blood traitors more because those in our group did than because she actually believed them. To be truthful, I think that all purebloods, upon first starting at Hogwarts, start questioning their beliefs about muggle-borns. We're taught all through our childhood that muggles and muggle-borns are inferior, then we meet them at school and they look and act just like everyone else. The way our parents talked about them, we expected them to be as dumb as trolls. I hope I'm not offending you by telling you this," he worried. "You were actually the person who bothered me most in that way. I had thought I was far better than people of your birth status, and you waltzed into school and showed everyone up. Some purebloods accept that their parents had been wrong while others, like me, allowed hatred to angrily fuel their beliefs.

"I think that all of the Slytherins in our year held onto those prejudices. Without the rest of us fuming about it, I don't think that Pansy would have ever been as fierce as she was in it. She was the first to start changing her mind and I do think that Morgana had something to do with it. She stopped using the term mudblood and kept quiet when we brought in blood status when we were talking badly about people." Draco looked quite frustrated as he remembered what he was like back then. "Blaise was the next to change his mind. He was raised more like me. My father… my father thought that muggle-borns should be given no rights and had no place in the wizarding world. Blaise's mother felt the same. He too, around our fourth and fifth years, started changing his mind. It was partly because of Pansy, I think, but more about the girls that caught his eye. He had always taken quite a serious interest in those of the female persuasion. He had tried to keep his eyes only on those of pureblood, but it didn't last long. There was one girl, then another. He just couldn't hate muggle-born anymore. It made me angry, especially because, by our sixth year, they both outwardly disapproved of the persecution of muggle-borns. They started using the terms mudblood and blood traitor again, but only to tease me because I knew they didn't believe it. It was the same time I was forced into Voldemort's service and I felt more alone than ever. It… it was hard."

Draco wasn't sure when it had happened, but he and Hermione had somehow changed places. He was sitting in the wooden chair that she had occupied only minutes before and she stood beside him with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Merlin… I don't know if anyone could outdo me in digression. How in Merlin's name did I get from Morgana to that?" Draco chuckled mirthlessly. "Anyway, as I started out saying, if you want to know anything about Morgana, Pansy is the person you should talk to. I can talk to her and see if we can go over there tomorrow if you want."

"I'm under house arrest, remember?" Hermione sighed heavily.

"Not completely. I'm sure I can talk Potter into it. Her house is heavily warded."

"Yeah… I think I'd like that," Hermione answered. If nothing else, she was sort of interested in really meeting Pansy for the first time. "I can't believe that she… not to say that… What am I trying to say? It's just strange that no matter what we need, there is a person right there to help."

"You think it's fate that Pansy happens to have an interest in Morgana?" Draco smirked.

"I don't like the word 'fate,'" Hermione frowned.

"But, there are just so many coincidences that it feels unnatural?" Draco asked.

"Yeah, I guess…"

"That's called fate; destiny," he teased. "All things fall into place as they need to, to reach a certain end. We will win," he said confidently.

"Yeah, I know," Hermione replied. It felt strange to be so certain when there really was no way that they could be. "But, I still don't like the word 'fate.'"

"You know, you're rather cute when you're contrary." Draco smirked and placed a chaste kiss upon her hand. Hermione snorted a soft chuckle, but was flattered nonetheless.

"Fear not, Hermione! We are here to save you," Fred said as he and George appeared in the doorway with their hands posed upon their hips.

"What?" Hermione asked in confusion.

"Harry said that Fidelius spell is a right pain in your arse," George explained.

"So he sent reinforcements?" she chortled. She made a mental note to thank him.

"And we have arrived," Fred said with a lopsided smile.

"We solved it once as a group of three. We can do it again," George said confidently. "Let's see what you've got."

Thank you again, all of you that review! You're the best! And HG4eva, I'll never be able to thank you enough.

.ree - It's not that I don't have ideas for new stories; I just can't decide between my ideas. I have considered doing a marriage law fic, but those are extremely difficult to do well. I do have an idea started where Dramione is forced into marriage sort of against their will, plenty of politics, but I haven't committed myself to it completely... yet. And when I say that I have it started, I mean I have a couple thousand words typed out. In fact, I have several stories started, some nearly completed, and I just get stuck or can't commit!

Actually, I'll make an offer here - I seriously, no exaggeration, have over two dozen ideas (with varying levels plot worked out) that are just waiting to be written! If any of you readers are writers as well and would be interested in working in collaboration with me or would just like to take one of my ideas and run with it, just let me know! It's more fun to share and quite frankly, most of my ideas won't ever get written without help.

Please review. ^^