It'd been agreed to bring in someone from the Order on the issue of Dumbledore's instability , someone not tied to the school or to Harry and Ron.

So they'd agreed that Shacklebolt would be the best option.

Minerva had known him longest and would send him a patronus.

Things were about to change at Hogwarts.

Big things.

And they were all uneasy because of it.


He'd gone to Dumbledore that night, he and the other members of staff after their meeting, had nervously gone to his office, hoping they could make him see sense.

It was futile , the man was just smiling as though he was humouring a small child, when they all tried to plead Hermione's case.

Severus stood in the office , seething with anger and resentment for this man who was just as much the master of his puppet strings as the other.

Even Fawkes was looking on miserably , looking rougher than Severus had ever seen him. The bird sat morosely on his stand, instead of being up to his usual playful antics or singing.

Albus had twinkled along merrily seemingly unconcerned, and then as sudden as anything it was like he was having a different conversation with them about Harry Potter needing to be prepared.

"Prepared for what Headmaster?"

Then it had been about hunts , but not headless hunts, and Snakes that aren't Slytherins, Wands that don't choose the wizard and so on into more randomness they could not begin to follow.

Severus met Fawkes eye and he saw for a brief moment the bird sent him a pleading look , then ruffled his feathers. There was a light breeze in the room , almost as if someone had opened a window, and it blew the headmasters sleeve just slightly to the side. Only slightly , but enough.

"Headmaster, what is wrong with your hand... you've been cursed !"

The look on his face was no longer friendly , but set in steel.

"It's of no matter Severus , merely a old mans foolishness"

"Like hell it is , let me see-"

He'd made to approach the headmaster only to stop when he felt a wand at his throat.
The other heads of house had gasped at his actions.o

A part of Severus broke. Any respect he'd held for the man, any lingering trace of loyalty was gone at the feel of the mans wand pressed in his neck.

"You forget your place Severus, I order you to stop"

He met the mans eyes and offered him a tight nod as the pain having to maintain the facade of the oath fell upon him. The wand was dropped and he took a step back. The other heads were still speechless at his cavalier treatment of the man by their side. The headmaster however bounced once more into his jovial attitude , and continued speaking about the next hogsmede weekend as the staff looked among themselves with concern.
Hands fisted by his sides he was momentarily shocked when Minerva's hand held onto his , and Pomona's placed on his lower back, both obscured by his robes.
He hadn't realised that he was holding back tears of betrayl, but he was grateful for the unspoken support.


When they stepped uout of the room, they once more made their way to the room of requirement. Each taking a seperate route that the castle provided them.

It seemed that even Hogwarts itself was concerned with it's leader.

When they all reached the room of requirement, the only room in Hogwarts that the headmaster could not spy on , they met each other with a stony silence.

"Well , what do you think , is it enough ?"

A disillusioned Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared in front of them.

"I would not have believed it , had I not seen it for myself , I am still shocked that the man did not notice my presence"

"Any ideas on what's wrong with his hand Severus...that looked like dark magic , very dark magic" Filius questioned.

He scrubbed his face with his hands before answering.

"It was dark magic , darkest magic , there are few people with the strength to wield such magic."

"But how could he have come in contact with it , could it be what's causing his behaviour ?" Pomona questioned worriedly.

"There's certainly the chance , curses like that corrupt , it may be in his hand now but how long until it spreads..."

"There's another thing" Severus added , and waited until he had the attention of the room.

"Did you see Fawkes ? It was he who caused the movement that showed me the headmasters arm"

There were a few concerned looks.

"Yes I did , he seemed so dejected...he's such a vain bird , I've not seen him look so bedraggled before" Minerva added.

Pomona suddenly looked to Severus with a exclamation.

"He's way overdue a burn day... I know because I usually get given the ashes as they help the plants grow, but there's been none for months now"

Filius squeaked in

"Could it be whatever dark magic is affecting Albus , is affecting Fawkes too ? he is the mans familiar..."

"...and dark magic corrupts" Severus rubbed his lips in consideration.

"No , I think not"

"But how can you be certain Severus ?" Shacklebolt chimed in.

"Phoenixes are the very embodiment of good , of healing. If Fawkes was being affected by dark magic then the first thing he would do is have a burning day...no this is something else"

"And what of the tears ? Why has Fawkes not given Albus tears, they would heal the dark magic surely ?"

They all made murmurs of agreement until Severus said something that made their blood run cold.

"Unless he was found unworthy of being saved"

None could say anything more after that.


They were waiting for her in the common room , both sat stonily on the sofa looking into the fire.

She had thought for a moment they might come to her, but that was not to be the case.

Nervously she made her way to the boys , and sat in the free chair. All the while feeling like her heart might beat its way out of her chest.

Still unable to form words to them , she waited.

"You lied to me"

Harry was the first to speak.

"But what I don't know is were you lying to me then, or are you lying to me now"

Her hurt filled gaze met his angry green eyes for the first time.

Ron cleared his throat.

"Mcgonnagol said it's not like they said it in the papers...that they twisted it , to make it look worse than it was"

Swallowing she nodded.

"But you were there , in Azkaban , with those death eaters"

Pulse racing she nodded once more.

Then Harry turned to her.

"Mcgonnagol said some stuff. But Malfoy...Lucius Malfoy ? "

She blanched at that but didn't look away.

"He didn't force you to do anything did he?"

Once more, she shook her head no.

"But you had sex with him ?"

She froze and sent him a distressed look but didn't answer.

But It was all the answer he needed.

He stood up sneering.

"I don't want to hear this , I don't want to hear any of this"

Turning his back on her for a final time , he walked away and she was shocked when she saw Neville and Seamus in the doorway.

Both looking at her like they didn't know her.

Her chest constricted to see Neville looking at her that way. Before Harry and Ron, he'd been her first friend.

He turned and followed Harry to the boys dorms , along with Seamus.

Ron looked at her , confused and angry.

"I know there's probably more to it , Azkaban's a pretty rough place , but Malfoy?...I just...I just can't right now Mione , I'm sorry"

With that her other friend turned and walked away from her.


Once she found the strength to scale the stairs to the girls dormitory, It didn't surprise her to find her things had been tampered with.

Mcgonnagol had personally warded her bed , as Hermione was without magic she didn't want anyone suprising the witch in her sleep.

Unfortunately she hadn't warded her possessions.

The galleons she had in her bag were gone , and all her pyjamas had been transfigured into very slutty looking babydolls. Her whole bag had been coated in cheap perfume to the point in made her eyes water.

They'd poured milk on her schoolbooks , she could dry them out but they would stink.

Having no way to change her nightclothes back without magic , she just got into bed in her robes.

Crookshanks was waiting for her , and sat himself in her lap.

She buried her head in her hands and fought the urge to bury herself in her shields and never come out.

The only thing that kept her going was the distant feeling of Severus's worry through the bond.

At least she knew that one person cared about her.

Even if nobody else did.


AN: Please review , and let me know how it's going :)