I hope you all enjoy chapter 15 of Always and Forever!
Chapter Fifteen
Hermione POV
The Gryffindor Prefect refused to let herself mope about losing George at the school. Instead, she threw herself into her studies for the OWLs. The date for the big tests snuck up on her as well as the other 5th years out of nowhere.
The morning of the first exam, no one was really talking much at Breakfast. Hermione was trying to reread Achievement in Charming at a record pace and it was making her eye twitch. Pavarati was practicing incantations under her breath and broke into tears when she kept getting two of them mixed up.
Once the other students left the Great Hall, the tables were changed into rows of desks where each desk had a quill, ink, and a parchment paper that was completely blank. Professor McGonagall was standing facing them. Once everyone was seated, she flipped a large glass timer and said, "You may begin."
Hermione looked as the Professor waved her wands and the answers appeared on the parchment paper. She was reading as fast as she could and began to frantically circle the correct answers for the multiple-choice options and write down logical and intelligent answers for the short answer portions.
She was the first student to finish her exam and she re-read her answers multiple times before handing it into McGonagall. Her transfigurations professor gave her a rare smile before telling her she was free to go.
Hermione sat on a bench outside of the Great Hall and waited for the other two to walk out of the room. When she saw Harry and Ron she popped up from her spot. "Well that wasn't too bad was it?"
After lunch, it was time for the fifth years to complete their practical examination. When Hermione's name was called, she walked inside with her hands trembling at her side. When Hermione walked in, she wanted to silently curse her luck because she got paired up with McGonagall herself to do her practical exam. "Are you ready, Miss. Granger?"
Hermione nodded and completed the tasks that her professor was asking without a second thought, trusting her instincts and reminding herself to breathe after every incantation. Professor McGonagall thanked her for her time without giving her any inclination on how she had just done.
At the end of the week, Hermione slumped into the couch that was her favorite this year. She sighed and pulled out a blank piece of parchment. She hadn't written to George yet. She had to calm down and stop being angry first and then she was so swept up with the exam prep that she didn't want to take a second away from studying.
In her chest, she felt guilty. He was probably wondering why she hadn't written. She smoothed out the parchment and began to write:
George
How have you been? I'm terribly sorry for not writing sooner. I just have been so busy with all of the OWL exams! I'm so glad that we were able to practice extra this year (at Dumbledore's Army she thought to herself) because I think it really helped me ace some of my exams. Well I suppose I hope that I ace them. I don't want to get ahead of myself.
McGonagall gave me a smile when I turned in my Transfiguration exam which has to be a good sign. Snape even told me that I turned in an adequate potion which I think is the best compliment he has ever given me.
How is the joke shop coming along? Ginny tells me you and Fred moved out of the Burrow. That's a shame. I was hoping to see you this Summer when I visit Ginny and Ron. Perhaps you will have to give a tour of the shop and your flat.
Anyways, I have to go to study for my next weeks exam.
I hope to see you soon.
With love,
Miss. Prefect Granger
George POV
Getting into the Order had proved to be harder than Fred and he expected. His mother was livid that they left school early and wanted to use the Order as a punishment. They were thankful for Remus and Sirius who stood up for them.
They were getting to know the members a lot more. Remus and Sirius spent a lot of time together and when they asked Tonks about it she laughed and replied. "Don't you spend a lot of time with Angelina and Hermione?"
Fred and George didn't know how to reply. He couldn't wait for Hermione to return back for holiday so that he could tell her all that he was discovering.
Looking around the flat made him think again about being excited for her to visit. The twins were living in less than desirable conditions at the moment since they were spending any time possible downstairs in the joke shop. George shuddered to think what Hermione would think if he saw that last night, they had pizza on top of a cardboard box in the middle of the flat.
It was as if there wasn't any time in the day. Once they found themselves back upstairs, it was hardly enough time to eat, shower, and go to bed. George made a mental note that he would get his room unpacked so she could visit as soon as possible.
He was in the middle of making a checklist in his head when he had received her first letter addressed to him and it made him want to jump for joy. After reading it, he had pulled out a piece of parchment from a half un-packed box in his flat and went to work responding.
My dear Hermione,
I do wish that I could say the flat was in good shape right now. Fred and I are so busy getting the joke shop together that I'm afraid that we only have our beds unpacked and shower items. I promise it will be in pristine condition when you come to visit.
Mum let Fred and I use the kitchen finally. I think that she had to be convinced by Dad to trust us. He hoped that she would understand that he was referring to the Order meetings and not simply cooking in the flat. I can't wait for you to visit. I miss you more and more every day.
I hope that Ron and Ginny aren't driving you insane. You can't trust Weasley's, trust me, I would know.
Sent with plenty of kisses and jokes,
George
He attached the letter to the Hogwarts owl and returned it to the curly haired Gryffindor girl. George sighed and wished that he could see her smile or hear her enchanting laugh. He was pulled out of his thoughts as Fred chucked a piece of Ton-Tongue Toffee at the back of his head, signally that it was time to get back to work stocking the shelves and making products for their inventory.
Hermione POV
"Sirius is being tortured right now. We can't waste any time!" Harry urged his friends as he went storming up to Umbridge's office.
"Harry wait!" She called after him. "What if it's a trap?"
"What if it's not, Hermione? What if Sirius is dying right now as we debate checking in on him. I'm not wasting anymore time. Ginny. Luna. Can you be a lookout?"
Ginny squared her shoulders. "Of course, Harry." She gripped his hand briefly before dropping it and waiting for more directions.
"Ron can be the distraction." Harry nodded at his friend.
Hermione shook her head. She was so worried that they were walking straight into a trap, but she knew that Harry would not rest until he checked to see if Sirius was at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. "I'll go with you under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry." She put her hand on his shoulder.
"The signal is Weasley is our King." Ginny said and nodded her head before her and Luna disappeared down the corridor.
Ron nodded at his two best friends. "Good luck, you two." He was off, running down the stone corridor as fast as he could calling for Peeves.
Hermione and Harry got under the Invisibility Cloak and ran as fast as they could without the cloak exposing them. Once they inserted Sirius' blade into her door, it clicked open revealing the foul perfume smell that was so pungent in her office. Hermione let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the office was empty.
Harry knelt down to the fire grate while Hermione stared at the grounds for Umbridge with her wand out. "Sirius? Sirius are you there?" Harry called out.
Kreacher the house-elf answered instead. Hermione's stomach dropped when the house-elf answered that Sirius had gone out of the house. He never left No. 12 Grimmauld Place. Never. Harry was shouting at the house elf and asking him if any other member of the Order were there. "Nobody is here but Kreacher." The elf taunted. "The Master will not come back from the Department of Ministries."
The blood that was flowing through Hermione's veins turned into ice. Sirius was in trouble. Harry was right. She turned around to look at Harry when Draco Malfoy's cruel smirk was in her face. The Slytherin boy threw his hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream and warn Harry.
He was yanked away from the fire by Umbridge. "Who was so important that you felt it was okay to break into my office? Hmm? Was it Dumbledore? Or the half-breed Hagrid?"
As Umbridge was taunting Harry, more and more of the Dumbledore's Army who were helping Harry talk to Sirius were being pulled inside the small office, each being tugged by a member of the Inquisitor Squad.
All of the Gryffindors were trying their hardest to throw the Slytherin off of them, but they were too strong. Hermione was trying to fight off Millicent Bulstrode, who Malfoy had given permission to watch Hermione since he wanted to deal with Harry Potter. "Calm down, mudblood." The Slytherin girl cackled as she smacked Hermione's lip, causing it to swell up and begin to bleed. Luna was the only member of the DA who was standing there, not trying to fight back. Instead, she looked out the window looking quite bored.
As Umbridge was shrieking, the door opened, and Snape walked in. He looked at the scene and merely raised his eyebrows. "You called for me?"
"Yes. I need some more Veritaserum to use on Harry Potter."
"Unfortunately, you took my last bottle in my supply. It will take a month to make another bottle. It is a rather time-consuming potion." He drawled as if he was bored.
As the professor went to leave Harry took this opportunity to scream. "He's got Padfoot at the palce where it's hidden."
"What on earth is he talking about?" Umbridge demanded.
Hermione whimpered, wishing that Harry would be quiet for once in his life. Snape merely raised his eyebrows. "No idea…"
"Well… if you aren't going to talk I will have to use the cruciatous curse on you to get you to begin speaking." Umbridge huffed and set her portrait of Cornelius Fudge upside down on her desk. She turned around and faced Ron with her wand raised.
"No!" Hermione shrieked. "Harry, if you don't tell her. I will."
Ron and Harry both gave her an incredulous look when Umbridge smiled wickedly. "No one of you are making sense. Let's go. Harry and Hermione. Come on now, children."
Hermione let out a small tear. "Dumbledore is hiding the weapon that he wasn't able to finish when he was at school. That's why Harry was trying to contact him. We finished it."
"Lead me to the weapon, now."