A/N: More mystery and intrigue as we meet with the Order. Amortentia in my Veins, you're awesome for the beta work. Readers, thank you for your continued interest in this tale.
Chapter 26
Hermione arose earlier than usual, downing her potion and rushing through her morning routine so she could get breakfast going. She quietly snuck past Severus and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. Rushing to the refrigerator, she began removing eggs, bangers, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Before she could start making anything, Miffy appeared.
"Mistress Maia doesn't need to be doing that," he said.
Hermione jumped a bit, as she hadn't been expecting the elf.
"Oh, Miffy, I know. It's just that today is Severus' birthday, and I wanted to make breakfast for him."
"As you say, Mistress Maia."
With a bow, the elf disappeared again. Hermione set to work. She got the bangers going and started slicing the tomatoes. Three slices in, the knife slipped and made a gash in her finger.
"Oh!" she cried as she stuck her finger in her mouth to stop the bleeding. She rushed out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. She ran her finger under the water. Looking around the room, she didn't see anything to help her with her cut.
"Miffy!" she called out.
The elf appeared beside her.
"Miffy, I cut myself, and I left my wand upstairs. Can you help me out?"
She held her finger out to the house-elf.
"Tsk, Mistress. That's why I offered to make breakfast."
The elf snapped his finger, and Hermione's cut was immediately healed.
"Thank you, Miffy," Hermione said.
Hermione went back to the kitchen and gasped. The bangers were smoking… a lot. Hermione rushed over to the pan and pulled it off the fire, fanning it to diminish the smoke. As she moved it, she knocked the bowl of eggs to the ground and they all shattered. She grabbed tongs and tried to salvage the sausages, but the bottom sides of them were burned black.
Her eyes stung as she flung the entire pan into the sink and ran water over it. The tears she was trying to hold back started to stream down her cheeks. She gasped as she leaned against the sink. Her eyes drew across the mess, and she felt her insides tighten up. Ruined… It was all ruined…. She'd ruined everything. She slowly sunk down to the floor, buried her head in her hands, and sobbed.
After a few minutes, she felt Severus' arm around her pulling her towards him. He was sitting on the floor next to her. His arm rubbed hers, and he shushed her.
"Maia, what's wrong?"
"I ruined it!" she cried. "I just wanted to… it was supposed to…"
Severus pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. He just held her as she sobbed into his shoulder. It took a while, but she finally was able to control herself. She pulled away from Severus and looked into his face.
"Pregnancy hormones?" Severus asked as both his eyebrows rose.
"No!" She looked into his eyes. "Maybe? I don't know, but I ruined your birthday."
He chuckled. "What on earth did you do to ruin my birthday?" he asked incredulously.
"I was going to make you breakfast." She sniffed. "I cut myself and burned the bangers, and then I knocked the eggs onto the ground."
Severus looked past her to the mound of eggshells and egg goo mixed with shattered bowl.
"Is that what that is?" he asked.
She began to cry again.
"Now, now," Severus soothed. "It's okay."
"No, it's not!"
Severus pulled his arm from her and stood up. He extended his hand to Hermione.
"Take my hand. Let's get off the kitchen floor."
Hermione looked up to him and sniffed. She gingerly extended her hand, and he helped her to stand. He led her to the sitting room, and they settled on the couch. His arm was around her again, and he'd pulled her to him and ran his fingers through her curls.
"Maia, please don't fret. It's just breakfast."
"But it's your birthday!"
"And I'm with you. That's all I've wanted for my birthday since I met you."
Hermione pulled back and searched his face.
"I'm serious. All I want for my birthday is to spend the day with you."
She giggled a little. "I'm being foolish, aren't I?"
"Never."
She laughed lightly. "Yes, I am." After a moment, she continued. "I'm sorry, Severus, I'm being ridiculous."
Pulling her close, Severus kissed her hungrily. "There's nothing to forgive. I'm sorry your plans to make me breakfast fell through."
Hermione chuckled at his inference, then she laughed, and she kept laughing.
Severus chuckled at her. "Your hormones are all over the place, Maia," he said lovingly as he kissed her forehead.
Hermione settled into a small giggle. "You missed!" she said as she pointed to her lips.
He pressed his lips to hers and kissed her. At that point, Miffy appeared in front of them and bowed.
"Breakfast is served, Master Snape. Happy Birthday."
Hermione thought she saw a tinge of color on Severus' cheeks.
"Thank you, Miffy."
He rose and held his hand out to Hermione. She took it and stood, pulling him into an embrace.
"At least Miffy got breakfast right."
Severus kissed her forehead again. "I love you, destroyer of breakfast and harbinger of starvation."
Hermione giggled. Severus faced her toward the kitchen and gave her a gentle push. She stumbled forward and turned, narrowing her eyes at him. He smirked as his arm came around her waist, and he guided her to the kitchen. Hermione huffed as she saw the beautiful breakfast that Miffy had laid out. Everything she had planned was on the plates, plus a bowl of strawberries sat in the middle of the table.
Hermione hesitated as she pushed her jealousy away before finally thanking the house-elf.
"My pleasure to serve, Mistress Maia," Miffy said.
He disappeared then, and Severus and Hermione enjoyed their breakfast. Hermione found that her histrionics had made her famished, and she dug into her eggs heartily. She studied her husband as they ate. The way he picked up each piece of tomato and placed it in his mouth had her pulse quickening. She found Severus to be incredibly sexy.
Soon their plates were empty. Hermione picked up a strawberry and held it in front of Severus' mouth.
"Dessert?" she said huskily.
Severus gave her a sultry look. "Don't mind if I do," he said before he took a bite of the strawberry and licked his lips.
A small shiver shot through Hermione's body. Severus rose slowly, never breaking eye contact with her. She felt jolts of electricity shooting through her with his look. He picked up the bowl of strawberries and reached for her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it.
"Shall we take dessert upstairs?" he asked her.
She was captivated by his gaze and could barely whisper a yes. He drew her up and handed the bowl to her. She wondered why until he'd swept her off her feet and carried her up the stairs.
"This is becoming a habit," she said with a smirk.
"Do you object?" he asked her somewhat seriously.
"Never," she replied as she tightened her grip on his neck. She laughed the whole way up the stairs as she showered him with kisses.
oooOOOooo
Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the meeting with the Order was upon them. Severus and Hermione entered the Potter residence, arriving early for the midday meeting so they could discuss their plan with Albus. Severus gave a curt nod to James as he let them into the home. Hermione smiled and started some small talk.
"James, how have you been?" she asked.
"Fine, fine. Busy with the Ministry, of course."
Hermione smiled at him again. "Yes, it's hard not to be busy there," she agreed.
James saw them into a small study where Albus awaited them. The older wizard faced the window but turned when they entered.
"Ah, Severus, Maia, your owl intrigued me."
James excused himself and stepped out of the room. Severus met Albus' eyes. He explained to Albus that he had inherited Prince Manor.
"The house is sentient. It can provide protection for us. I have already shown the mansion to the Dark Lord as we hid the Horcrux there. If we tell him that somehow the Order found out that something valuable to the Dark Lord is hidden within it, and they plan on attacking, we can probably have our final battle there."
Albus' eyebrows shot up. "You believe we can lure Voldemort there?"
"If he believes that the Horcrux is in danger and that the entire Order is to descend on my home, he will come with all his Death Eaters."
Albus stared at Severus, contemplating this new option. Finally, he spoke again. "It just might work."
"Yes, Maia and I think it will be successful." Severus paused as he studied Dumbledore. "We'll need to be quick with this attack," he explained. "The Dark Lord informed Maia that he plans on taking the Ministry at the end of next month."
Dumbledore frowned and was deep in thought for several minutes. Finally, he looked at the pair.
"I think we'll be able to attack quickly and save the Ministry," he told them.
They discussed plans for a while as the Order members gathered in the Potters' sitting room. A knock on the door interrupted them. James peeked his head in.
"Everyone is assembled Albus," he advised.
Albus nodded quickly and motioned for Severus and Hermione to follow him.
"Please wait in the hall while I introduce you," he said before he entered the sitting room.
Severus looked at Hermione as they waited. They listened to Albus speak with the Order members.
"Welcome, my friends," Albus began. "It's good to see you all here. I've asked two people to join us tonight. They have been working behind the scenes on the war effort and have some information that may help us win this war. Severus, Maia, please join us."
As Hermione and Severus made their way into the room, everyone erupted in gasps. Frank Longbottom gave them a skeptical look, while his wife covered her mouth in surprise. Everyone was staring at them. Sirius Black bound to his feet and pointed at Severus.
"Dumbledore, how could you let him in here!" Sirius shouted. "He's in league with them!"
Everyone started talking at once. Severus and Sirius simultaneously drew their wands. Dumbledore raised his hands but everyone ignored him.
"Silence!" he shouted.
The group hushed. Severus lowered his wand first, glaring at Sirius.
"Why don't you try using your brain for a change, Black," he said caustically.
"It's obvious you are here for no good reason, Snivellus. You have somehow corrupted Dumbledore."
"Enough!" Albus demanded. "Sirius, lower your wand and sit down now!"
Sirius slowly lowered his wand, glaring at Severus the entire time. He moved back to his chair and sat, his eyes suspiciously watched Severus.
Once Sirius had settled back down, Albus cleared his throat again and began.
"Severus and Maia have been spying for the Order as Death Eaters. They have both taken the Mark and are trusted servants of Voldemort. He trusts them enough to have given them one of his most treasured possessions." His eyes scanned the room. Everyone's eyes were riveted on him.
"They have hidden it in their new home. We will use the location to stage our stand. Severus and Maia will bring Voldemort and his followers under the guise that we have found out about the item and have come to destroy it. The house that it is in is sentient and will protect us in the fight against the Death Eaters."
"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Sirius asked gruffly. "What if we are walking into an ambush?"
"What part of us being spies is incomprehensible to you, Black?" Severus snarled.
"All of it, if you must know," Sirius retorted. "You only do what's best for you, Snape. You'd as easily throw us to the wolves as go against your master."
Severus snarled at Sirius. Hermione reached out and grasped his arm. Severus lost some of the tension in his body.
"Sirius," she began. "We are not trying to trap you. Grow up and quit letting your hatred of Severus color your thinking!"
Sirius' lips thinned, but he sat back and crossed his arms.
"How will the house protect us?" Lily asked.
Severus looked over at her. "It has special wards that can keep certain people out while protecting those within. The grounds can hide us and also deter enemies."
Several more questions were asked before they got to the actual plan of attack. Severus removed a scroll from his robes and unrolled it. It was a drawing of the property. He explained how they could take on the Death Eaters and Voldemort with hopefully few casualties. The meeting went on until all angles had been examined and planned for.
Severus pulled away from the table. He eyed the Order carefully. "If we can all keep our heads, we should prevail," he said simply.
There were nods all around.
Albus chimed in then. "Does everyone know what they are supposed to do and when they are supposed to arrive?"
Again, everyone nodded. Even Sirius looked like he was on board. Hermione hoped he wouldn't be a problem.
"All right. You are dismissed until Friday night," Albus said with a wave of his hand.
They watched as the Order meeting broke up but its members stayed to chat with each other. Albus turned his head slightly toward Severus.
"You're sure this will work?"
Severus eyed him angrily. "Unlike you, I don't rush into things. I have thought about this strategy for a long time."
Albus huffed. "We shall see."
Severus turned completely toward him. "By your reaction, it's almost as if you want us to fail."
Albus looked at him measuredly. "I hardly want us to fail. If we fail, there will be nothing standing between Voldemort and his desires. I just don't want my fighters to be slaughtered."
Severus moved in closer to Albus as his voice became low so no one would hear him. His words were terse with anger. "You sound like Black! You and he can stay home sucking your thumbs as much as I care. We will be defeating the Dark Lord with or without you!"
"Severus, let's go home," Hermione said from his side.
He looked at her for a moment, seemingly trying to decipher what she had said. Finally, he nodded. Turning, he swept from the room without another glance at Dumbledore. Hermione turned and glared at the older wizard.
"A little trust in him would go a long way, Dumbledore. Of course, I know that's too much to ask from you," she said with a huff before following her husband out of the room.
She caught up with him outside the home. Reaching out she took his hand. "Hopefully after this week, we'll never have to talk to him again," she said through gritted teeth.
He glanced at her sideways. "Let's get out of here before I accidentally murder someone."
She laughed at him before releasing his hand and spinning away. He followed suit right after. They appeared in their home, and Hermione immediately wrapped her arms around Severus.
"I love you," she said simply.
He looked into her eyes. "I'm tired of being looked at as the bad guy. I know we don't spend time with any of those people, and they truly don't matter, but I had hoped that they might give me a tiny bit of respect."
Hermione stroked his nose. "Does it really matter, my love? As you said already, we're not friends with any of them. They can think what they like as long as they follow our instructions. We have each other, and that's really all that matters."
Severus sighed as he kissed her forehead. "I find it ironic that we have truer friends among our enemies. Both Lucius and Regulus are loyal and actually trust us."
Hermione drew back. "Do you think we can include them in our plan, Severus?"
"Regulus maybe. Lucius is too solidly entrenched with his master for him to turn traitor."
"But could we even trust Regulus?"
Severus' eyebrows knit together. "I think so. After the last revel, I think he's seen the lunacy that drives our lord."
Hermione sighed. "That was very ugly…"
Severus snorted and stood up, beginning to pace. "The Dark Lord almost killed him just to prove a point!"
"I'm surprised Regulus stood up for Sirius. I thought they didn't get along."
"They don't, but they're brothers. Asking him to go to Sirius and Crucio his own brother to get information out of him… well, of course he refused."
"He was brave to tell the Dark Lord no," Hermione mused.
"Brave, but foolish," Severus replied. "The Dark Lord had been paying extra attention to him lately. He probably felt he could get away with telling him no. Unfortunately, no one can tell him no without taking their life in their hands."
Hermione looked down. "Even if Regulus had agreed and cast the curse on him, it probably wouldn't have been potent enough to cause Sirius any pain. Still, the Dark Lord casting the very same curse on Regulus repeatedly…" She shuddered. "That was hard to watch."
"It was. But with all his previous doubts and that act, I think he has had his fill of being a Death Eater. He'll be on our side. I trust him."
Hermione nodded, deep in thought. "We could use Regulus with the group outside the castle. He could hold back and attack our brethren without them knowing."
"That's a good idea. I'll invite him over later tonight, and we can talk to him about this. As for Lucius, hopefully, he will not be harmed too badly."
"Despite him being awful, I must say, he's grown on me a little bit," she admitted.
"Awful?" Severus asked with a smirk.
"Absolutely awful," she said as she kissed his nose. "But I don't want to talk about him anymore. Let's go brew that strengthening draft you were talking about yesterday."
"Sounds divine," Severus drawled as he kissed her lightly and led her to their lab where they spent the afternoon brewing.
oooOOOooo
Later that night they were settled in their sitting room with Regulus. They'd been making small talk over firewhisky for some time now. Finally, Severus broached the subject of defection.
"Regulus, last we spoke at a revel, you were quite upset with the Dark Lord."
Regulus' eyebrows knit together. "Severus, it was nothing, really."
Severus leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. He knew he'd have to admit not being happy first, or Regulus would never say anything against his master.
"I, too, have had my misgivings, as has Maia."
Regulus' eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Severus, you mustn't…"
"This is my home, and I will speak freely in it," Severus admonished. "After what happened to you at the last revel, I would imagine you are not as enthusiastic about our group as you were when you first joined?"
Regulus looked down into his lap. His fingers fidgeted with one another. Finally, he looked up at Severus with a determined look.
"You are correct. I regret following my family, Severus. But I have no choice but to see this through. I certainly do not want to die so young."
Severus gave a quick nod. He looked to Hermione, who gave a small nod as well. "If there was another way… a way where you could have your freedom and not die… would you follow it?"
Regulus rose. "Severus, please! You must stop now! This kind of talk could get us all killed."
Severus rose as well and came up to Regulus, placing his hand on Regulus' arm. "My friend, I am not trying to trick you. As I said, this is my home, and we are safe speaking of anything within it."
Regulus looked into Severus' eyes. "Severus… I…"
Severus' lips thinned into a line before he spoke again. "Maia and I are working to take down our Lord."
Regulus drew back. "You are working against him?" he cried.
Severus' wand was in Regulus' face before anyone had the chance to blink. "Do not even think about betraying our secret!"
Regulus backed away, his hands going up in surrender. "We are friends, Severus. I will say nothing."
Severus slowly lowered his wand. "I told you this because we could use your help."
"In what way?" Regulus asked, his eyes narrowing.
Severus motioned for Regulus to sit as he took his own seat once again.
"We're working with the Order. We're planning an ambush here. We are hiding something of value of the Dark Lord's. If he feels the item is in danger, he will bring all of us to protect it."
"Why would he bring us all?"
"If he knows the entire Order is attacking, he will seek to destroy them all at once."
"What do you want me to do?" Regulus asked.
"If you could hang back a little so no one notices you, you could start attacking our brethren from behind without them realizing it."
Hermione broke in. "Make sure your mask gets knocked off somehow. We'll advise the Order you're with us, and they won't attack."
Regulus was quiet. He eyed Severus, internally mulling over what Severus had said. "Will your plan work? The Dark Lord is powerful, and with all of our brethren… they are a formidable enemy."
Severus nodded in acquiescence. "What he won't know is that we will have some Order members hiding in ambush. Also, my home is sentient, and it will protect us. It will not be easy, I won't say that, but we have a great advantage, and the chance to end the Dark Lord's reign."
"What of our brethren?"
"We can't protect everyone, Regulus."
"What if I can get others to help us?"
Severus arched an eyebrow. "I didn't think anyone else was on the fence with their loyalty."
"There are several."
"Would Lucius Malfoy be one of them?" Hermione asked.
Regulus gave a quick nod. Severus sighed in relief.
"If he'll work with us, we could save Narcissa as well."
Regulus' lips thinned into a line. "I think Narcissa will fight with us."
Severus folded his arms in front of him. "We'll need a way to know who is on our side. How many do you think will join us then?"
"I can guarantee five. I will know one way or the other about five more once I talk to them."
"Regulus, you can't tip our hand," Severus said sternly.
Regulus shook his head. "These people are all on the fence. It's just a matter of how much they'll help."
Severus turned away and walked over to the fireplace. "If they won't help us outright, perhaps you can convince them to not try as hard for the other side?"
Regulus nodded. "That's what I was going to suggest to those who are too frightened to join us outright."
Severus moved back to Regulus and clapped him on the back. "This is good, Regulus. Much better than I had originally thought. With you and more of our brethren helping, we can ensure victory over both our Lord and the Death Eaters."
Hermione moved forward. "We'll work on a way to identify those who are working with us. Perhaps a charm or something so you'll stick out."
"Yes, but we don't want everyone to know we're traitors," Regulus replied.
"Of course. You would all be dead if they could tell." She chewed on her lower lip, deep in thought. "We'll figure it out, Regulus," Hermione said. "Don't worry. We'll come up with something. Let's meet again tomorrow, and we'll discuss this more."
Regulus' head bowed in agreement. "Keep me in the loop if something happens before then," he said. "I should be going. I have several people to speak with."
Severus grasped his arm. "Good luck, my friend."
With a nod, he was gone. Hermione came up to Severus and wrapped her arms around him. "We can do this"
His arms came up, and he rubbed her back. "Yes, and we will win."
They stayed like that for a while before Severus pulled back and looked into her eyes.
"Fly with me," he said simply.
She smiled up at him. "Of course."
He took her hand and led her out of the manor. They lifted off together, hand in hand, and floated up high above their home. Letting go of each other, they separated and flew in different directions, coming back together after a few minutes. Severus gave her a mischievous look, and Hermione's eyes grew wide. Knowing exactly what he was about to do, she turned and sped off, flying as quickly as she could. She felt him nearing her nonetheless. He was always faster than she was. She urged herself to go faster, pulling up and soaring higher into the sky, but it was no use. His arms came around her and grabbed her. They spun over and over again as they continued to ascend, coming slowly to a halt, hovering in the air.
His kiss was all-encompassing, taking over her senses as he hungrily worshiped her mouth. They floated together, engrossed in one another. They slowly floated down towards the ground, but they didn't notice at all, they were so engrossed in one another. As their feet hit the ground, they separated from each other. Severus rested his forehead on hers.
"I love you," he whispered. "You make me feel complete, Maia. I never thought that I could feel this happy, my love."
Hermione drew back and kissed his forehead. "Neither did I, Severus. I'm so afraid that something will go wrong and one of us won't make it through this fight."
He pulled her to him and squeezed her, trying to pull her into him. "I will do everything in my means to make sure we survive this. We need to figure out how to prevail with the fewest casualties."
Hermione pulled back. "I think I have an idea about how we can spot those on our side."
Severus arched an eyebrow in a questioning way.
"We need a potion that we can all ingest: spies and order members—everyone working against Voldemort. We'll be able to see who's on our side because we'll all have a green glow, but no one else will be able to see it."
"A variant of the Glow-in-the-Dark potion?" Severus asked.
Hermione nodded. "We'll have to add something so it's only visible to other drinkers of the potion."
"Brilliant," Severus said. "Perhaps spelling it with a Notice-Me-Not spell?"
"Let's try it," Hermione urged as they quickly moved inside and to the Potions lab.
Severus started in on the potion. "I think if we add Griffin claw, it will make the glow visible any time of day."
"So, anyone who takes it will glow, right?" Hermione asked.
"Yes. The trick will be to only have those who take the potion see the result. It will be a dead giveaway If everyone can see it."
"Is the Notice-Me-Not spell able to be combined with a potion?"
Severus stirred for a while, thinking and counting. He finally looked up at Hermione.
"I don't think that spell has ever been used on a potion before simply because it wouldn't be useful to create something, only to hide it. However, there's nothing to keep it from working with a potion. I think once this is done, we can cast the spell over it. It should hide the effects of the potion to anyone who hasn't drunk it."
They worked late into the night and finally had a potion that would reveal their allies to each other. They called Miffy as they tested the brew, asking him if he saw anything different about them. He looked at them closely.
"No, Master Snape, you look just as you always do."
Hermione and Severus regarded each other, both glowing a fluorescent green and realized the potion worked. Hermione threw herself into Severus' arms and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you, Miffy. That's all we'll need right now," Severus said. Looking back to Hermione, he grinned. "I feel even better about our chances now," he told her.
Her head rested against his chest as she continued to hold him. "Me too," she said finally.
"Come," Severus said as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "We deserve some sleep. I am about to fall over."
"Let's head to bed. I'm exhausted."
Severus placed his hand on her abdomen. "I'm sure junior could use a rest as well."
Hermione laughed. "He definitely needs me to rest so he can grow."
"I'll let you sleep in, then."
"Thank you, my love. That will be a lovely gesture if I'm not rushing to the bathroom first thing in the morning."
Severus' arms came around her then. "Thank you for giving me a child, Maia. I know pregnancy is not easy. You can take the potion before bed, and it should keep you from feeling sick at all in the morning."
She kissed his nose. "Thank you. The morning sickness should pass soon."