5th Year Part Five: Chapter 23

"I thought about how there are two types of secrets: the kind you want to keep in, and the kind that you don't dare let out."

~Ally Carter

~.O.~

Hermione paced in front of a blank wall in the middle of a deserted seventh floor corridor, remembering Severus' words of once using a room dubbed The Come and Go Room, or The Room of Requirement, to escape the bullying antics of the four teenage Marauders. Crookshanks, who followed her each time across the floor, eventually became dizzy and began walking in loopy lines, prompting Hermione to scoop him up in her arms. Harry and Ron exchanged glances as they looked at the wild haired girl as if she had finally gone mental after all these years, and Ron had just opened his mouth to question her actions as two heavy black wooden doors appeared. Replacing a wall of what was once solid stone.

"How did you find this place?" Harry looked around at the walls of books and rows of chairs that covered a spacious room.

Hermione smiled, placing her bag down on a table beside the door, "The castle showed me. The room can give you anything you focus really hard on, unless it is food. Even magic can not conjure food from thin air."

As Harry flopped down to await the first arrivals of people Hermione had sent out to their respective houses to recruit for the meeting, Hermione lingered outside the new doorway in order to guide people in. Just days ago, she had brought together the twins, Luna, Draco, and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff in order to get the word out to their housemates about learning to defend themselves against Umbridge and her new Inquisitorial Squad who had a habit of playing nasty. Passing OWLs were simply an added bonus to those who had thus far had been dealing with the subpar Defense Against the Dark Arts professors.

Although Harry had staunchly argued against the Slytherins who had made up most of Umbridge's little posse, Hermione had reminded him that his house prejudices had nothing to do with passing their owls and defending themselves. With little more to say in the face of Hermione's once again stubbornness which had gotten him into the situation he was currently in, and thus he acquiesced reluctantly to her wishes. As she gave out fake galleons she had placed a Protean charm on for their communications to each of the recruiters, she warned each of them to choose who they trusted carefully, with emphasis on Draco who had discreetly told her he was simply part of the squad to remain aware of their movements and patrols.

She had given him a disbelieving look, shaking it off as she sent them on their way.

Yeah right, and being able to take points away from Gryffindor certainly didn't help soothe the ache of belonging to a group of students that had just as much authority as the Head Boy and Girl.

Gradually, various people from each of the houses trickled into the Room in twos and threes as to avoid the suspicion of the patrolling professors and previously mentioned Inquisitorial Squad. Eventually as a significant number of people were gathered, Hermione put down a cranky Crookshanks who had refused to allow his sensitive foot pads onto the cold floor while waiting for everyone to assemble.

"Watch for new people, Crookshanks," she kissed him on the nose, knowing all he had to do was put a paw to the doors for them to creak open enough for whoever came late to let themselves inside. He meowed sweetly up to her with his yellow eyes, having forgiven her one he was set an assignment, watching vigilantly around the corridor he was now charged in stalking.

Slipping into the now sound filled room, Hermione sees that most of the couches and hammocks had been filled by the younger year students, with a smattering of the older years who were most likely family of the others. Hermione thought once she saw them, that it was very likely many of the people that had shown up today would not show their faces again for the defense lessons, wanting to only hear Harry's morbid story of Cedric's death. Just as she placed herself to attention in front of the room, Harry and Ron each beside her, the door opened to a platinum headed boy with an orange cat at his heels, as well as a darker skinned and darker blonde Slytherin than those of the Malfoy line. Several people who had seen the group of boys enter the room jumped from their seats as if they were ready to run from the room, knowing that Draco was Umbridge's little pet when it came to the Inquisitorial Squad. A nod seen between herself and the Malfoy heir settled them reluctantly as him, Theo, and Blaise all took a seat closest to the door. All the while Crookshanks did his best to put the boy's and his mistress' friendship out into the open as he circled the boy's crossed ankles.

It seemed as if he was still a little bit titchey to no longer being carried around like a kitten…

"Malfoy!?" The hissed name coming from either side of her, causing her to sigh as she knew this was the exact reaction she had been expecting when she had neglected to mention who exactly she had sent to Slytherin house when informing them of the others. Although, there were no overturned tables as of yet. More and more people grew silent until they were all looking at the trio at the head of the room, and Harry's nervousness was once again showing through even this anger at the Slytherins of their year entering their illicit club.

"He is a prefect who has the trust of those in his house, so be quiet until I tell you to speak and deal with it!" She hissed back to them, causing them to take a step back at her glare before she turned back to the crowd all watching them. Glancing between her and Harry who was taking her hisses for silence quite clearly, although Ron remained slightly glaring at the side of her face while she once again surveyed her audience.

Hermione cleared her throat and began her speech, "Everyone here has come for a reason. Rather that reason be that they want to learn how to fight against the people who are oppressing us, you see this simply as a way to gain the necessary information to pass your OWLS, or to listen to Harry's point of view on the death of Cedric Diggory at the hands of Voldemort," several shrieks and yelps sounded throughout the room, many simply flinching at the name whom no one dared speak. Several people also attempted to open their mouths to interrupt her as well, although their jaws audibly snapped back at the look she gave each of them not unlike the glares she had not moments ago given the two boys behind her. "This room we are in now is called the Room of Requirement, or the Come and Go Room. This is where we will be meeting if you choose to continue Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons with me and Harry," she nods to him, "teaching you everything we can, along with anyone else who would like to teach us anything useful. The coins that were passed out will show you the date and time as it has done today." Hermione pauses gauging those around the room who still looked reluctant, knowing there was to be some protests to what she was to say next, especially from Harry and Ron as she knew they would disapprove even more than inviting Draco Malfoy to their secret in- the- making club. Blood magic being considered more of a darker magic than light, she knew there would be many protests but she would not budge no matter the backfall. Severus taught her to protect herself and those she loved by any means, and by the gods she would by any means. "If anyone should choose not to continue with these meetings after today, I will take back your communication galleon, along with a drop of blood that will cue it to you, and if you should tell anyone not in this room without permission from myself or Harry, your name will be known for everyone to do with you what they will."

Several loud protests were raised at this revelation, Hermione seeing Draco's pale eyebrows raise in surprised agreement as well as the two boys' after they had exchanged a glance behind Draco's head.

Waiting for the room to quiet again, and the yanking on her arms to subside once again, she said, "Unless someone is intending to inform the High Inquisitor of what we have spoken of today, then this precaution should not have any disagreements to it. As well as the fact that many of you are friends and family of someone who will intend on continuing after today, it should also not pose as a problem to protect their well being either way."

These last words silenced the remaining protests, some looking as if they were shameful children at Hermione's tone of voice and manner of speaking that was becoming more like Severus' with each passing year. Motioning to Harry to step up, she placed a hand on his back for moral support as Ron looks on to her as if he had never seen her before.

..

After the meeting ended, Hermione made her way to Severus' office in order to give him his own Protean charm of sorts, the idea having come to her while making the galleons and making her pause in how she had not thought of such a thing before. Barging in on him as he completed his grading for the day, she gently set a copy of a page that listed each of those students who had chosen to stay within Dumbledore's Army as Harry had dubbed it. To Hermione's quiet displeasure even as the others written on the list agreed heartily with it, with the obvious displeasure of the older Slytherins as they signed their own names.

Severus lifted one dark eyebrow to the paper now covering the one stained red with his thinly veiled comments of the essay writer's stupidity. Thankfully, she had never done anything to warrant much of those. Even as he had always been a fair if not hard professor pertaining to each of his students' work, or downright evil if you asked any other student, he never held back on what she herself did wrong as she deserved no special treatment when it came to the work she turned in even if she wanted it. The fact that their relationship had evolved beyond what Severus had with any other student besides Draco, it was a completely irrelevant fact when coming to a skill she would most likely need for her future.

"A copy of each of the members in Dumbledore's Army," she laughed at his derisive sniff and curl of the lip as he scanned the page, to which was paired with the fewer returned galleons than she thought she would receive from those who opted out of continuing with extra Defense lessons. Granted, most were from the few older year students who she had thought simply showed up for Harry's explanation of his short time with the Dark Lord, and as usual, she was proved in the right. "If you hear of someone on this list talking to Umbridge of the army, just tap it with your wand to turn it red and I will see. Not that it will make any difference, as soon as a name turns red the person will be cursed as a snitch the moment the color bleeds."

While Tom may not have an issue with young students acquiring new knowledge, he may take issue with the name as well…

Severus once again raised that damning eyebrow, pulling her into his lap from where she had sat on the corner of his desk among his papers.

"You have been having trouble curbing your impulses as of late, girl."

Hermione laughed, twining her arms around his neck before kissing his cheek, "Not trouble I would say, more like using them constructively." He rolled his eyes in a completely undignified manner at her excuse, "I also have a present for you."

Taking up his hand that his leather bracelet she had given him years ago while tapping her wand to the disk holding his initials, she then tapped her own new charm that held a similar loopy H.

"There," she held his wrist to his eyes so that he could see the message she had enchanted onto his wrist, the leather having grown warm as the message replaced his normal S before disappearing once he had read it. "I've made us our own protean charms in case of emergency."

He looked down to her smiling, "You are turning out to be the most formidable witch, my girl." He kissed her lips before responding to her message, "I love you too."

Hermione giggled as his fingers then squirmed all over her ribs.

~.O.~

The skies grew dark above the Quidditch pitch stands where Hermione sat with Luna and Ginny, watching as Harry and Ron finished up their drills for the day, Ron having informed them of his want to try out for Keeper next year. The two other girls stood as the first raindrops of the day sprinkle down onto their faces, knowing that these Scotland storms came on suddenly and without warning at times.

Waiting for the boys despite the redhead and blonde's urgings to outrun the rain, Hermione watched as they made their way to her on foot. Watching as Harry absentmindedly rubs the scar that marred his forehead after pushing back his windswept hair. The first few droplets of water running down her face like tears, words of prophecy and shame clouding a memory, words of plot clouding another.

Tom continues to touch her in a way not at all befitting a simple servant, but one of beloved value as he tells her of a prophecy made years ago. One that had prompted his downfall, as well as that of the remainder of the Potter family.

"Find out where Dumbledore has hidden the prophecy, Hermione." His warm hand caressed the apple of her cheek in plain view of Severus who stood behind her, watching with impassive eyes. A simple black ring of stone and gold glinted in what little light surrounded them, the stone fitted snugly to his middle finger. "It would be no good if he were to utilize it against me, create an army of the light all loyal to a boy is supposed to be my downfall."

Hermione looked at him from beneath her lashes, "I will not fail you, my Lord."

~.O.~

"I bloody well hate that woman!" Ron exclaims, speaking of Umbridge as they walk through Hagrid's very large oversized pumpkin patch. Having visited the wounded giant and seeing his broken and battered face being held together by a raw steak, Hermione took to healing the man who spilled his guts as to why he had been gone on vacation before the school year had started. Dumbledore having sent him on a mission to talk to his mother's kin, his giant kin, the large creatures made it very clear that they were not to side with the light. Preceding to then inform the boys, and Hermione who had already known of this new information, that the Death Eaters have also been recruiting in the ministry as well as the creatures who hid in the vast woods of Great Britain.

Hermione began picking snowdrops from the field around them that they had decided to rest on as the sun set below the hill. Braiding them into a crown to which she then put atop her curls as she listened to the boys rant and rave about all that was unfair in the fight against the Dark Lord. She thought of how ironic it was that the small white flowers she wore represented new beginnings, although she knew nothing of the purity aspect in which they represented above all else.

Harry gets her attention just as she is weaving a second small wreath the size of a wrist, "What do you think about it, 'Mione?"

She smiled slightly at his carefully inquisitive tone, knowing that he had been expecting her to be putting in the thoughts even back when their conversation had began before they even visited Hagrid, but instead remained silent.

"I am not surprised," she remains focused on the task at hand, her small fingers nimbly braiding the plant in her hand with practiced movements. "It isn't anything new really, but you simply have to have hope and be optimistic that everything will work out just fine." Her lips curl slightly at his raised eyebrows, knowing she not at all sounds like her normal self. "I know I sound naive, but you can't lose faith, Harry. Not in the power of what you believe in, because if the people who look up to you see, they will start to lose their own faith in the goodness of the world as well."

I have faith that a man formerly known as Tom Riddle, Voldemort, will prove to be the man I so hope he can be… I have faith in the loyalty of the man now known as Marvolo…

"When did you become a spokesperson for goodness and belief?" Ron asks from her other side, "I thought we all got that was what Dumbledore's speeches were for."

She laughed undeterred as she slipped the snowdrop bracelets onto each of their wrists to match the one secured around her forehead that made her look all the part of a nymph of the woods.

"I am simply saying that we are only as strong as our friendship, as I have told Harry already." He squeezed the hand she grabbed, remembering her words of never being alone.

I hope like hell our friendship will last… although I know it is most likely a futile and impossible hope… much like impossible loves...

~.O.~

Severus had pulled her into an alcove as each of the prefects had divided up parts of the castle they should decorate with Christmas tinsel, and apparently the castle decided it was much fun to trap unsuspecting peoples under the suddenly appearing and delicately flowering mistletoe. Which led to Hermione abandoning her post within the dungeons which she had so gracefully volunteered for despite Draco's knowing smirk who had volunteered to stay in the Great Hall. His infernal look then wiped off his face as he tried to catch his breath from the pointy elbow Hermione sent into his kidney even as he still had the nerve to laugh at her once he was a sufficient way away out of the reach of her body parts that might cause him harm.

It wasn't long before Harry and Ron came looking for their friend though, despite the fact that Ron was supposed to be helping to decorate the enormous tree in the Great Hall. But it was time for lunch, and most likely the redhead had shirked his duty long before anyway.

"I hope 'Mione doesn't try to get me back to hanging tinsel," they heard Ron's voice from their hiding spot, Severus continuing to work on her neck despite her giggling for him to stop. "Peeves' has already tried to strangle me with it three times already."

Harry laughs as Ron rubs the light red line that was forming, just as they got to the last known spot of Hermione before she had been accosted. The two boys followed the hanging line of tinsel before coming to a dead end, the decorations having been dropped to the floor haphazardly with pieces of silver scattered around in a long hallway with no one in sight. They looked at each other with frowns, just as a bell hit each of them on the head from nowhere. Ron flinching and crouching on instinct, expecting Peeves to have stalked them about the castle.

"Hermione!" he says, a little hysterical while knowing that for some reason the jokester ghost was afraid of the small girl.

Most likely due to Severus having warned him off her multiple times before, and now is sufficiently terrified of her by proxy.

But it seemed that Peeves had not stalked him about the castle this day, and it was only furry little Crookshanks who was now chasing the two jingle bells further down the hall, zig zagging back and forth between the two to keep them moving. As he disappeared around the corner, Hermione made a deliberate scuff with her shoe as she startled the boys who twirled back towards her disheveled form with their hearts beating straight out of their chests. Ron had crouched once again, expecting water balloons to be pelted at his head like so many other times before.

"Hi," Hermione said brightly, fixing her messed up clothes deftly while pulling up her sleeve from where it had been pulled to show her bare shoulder, although her even wilder than normal hair and glazed eyes could not be righted as easily as the sleeve.

Watching as she picked up the fallen lanyard of tinsel and adding more to the walls to finish the line, Harry looked to her with knowing eyes, "Where were you 'Mione?"

She didn't even blink as she answered his question, "I was looking for some bells that had been scattered around."

Ron looked back to Harry with wide eyes, away from the girl that obviously was concealing a tryst with an unknown boy. Harry was undeterred as he walked a little ways back down the hall for anyone else that surely must have been still hidden as the wide hall would have not concealed any secrets.

Seeing no one but not for a second believing his friend's obvious lie, he said, "Crookshanks went off with them around the corner."

She laughs, and Harry can't help but notice a smudge of lip gloss that had been fanned out from the corner of her mouth. They all started back at the Great Hall, Ron forgoing his suspicions of Hermione being a girl as usual in order to get to his food sooner rather than later. Although, just as they round the corner from the way Crookshanks had disappeared, the trio ran into a black clad wall, causing them to take a step back for want of being accused of not paying attention to their surroundings.

"Miss Granger," Professor Snape held out two slightly dented silver balls in his long fingers, "If you could refrain from allowing your familiar to damage Hogwarts property, it would be greatly appreciated."

Each of the students blinked up to the man, Hermione taking the bells with a smile, "Thank you, Professor Snape. I will keep that in mind."

She dragged the boys on their way, keeping their eyes forward in order to distract from her familiar destroying the professor's own personal property by way of batting at his billowing cloak with his claws in retaliation of his toys being taken away.

Harry writes the weird encounter off, putting an arm over the girl's shoulders to whisper into her ear, "Are you ever going to tell us who you have been spending your time with?" His finger came to the smudge on her cheek to rub it away.

She smiles up to him, "Eventually."