Chapter 34 – An Order Meeting, News and a Death Eater Meeting
Hermione woke up in Severus' bed; it was where she had been for the last three days now. Severus had been sat by her side, worried half to death about her. She had not been eating, or drinking, and Madame Pompfrey and Severus had to administer nutrition through potions and the muggle way, through her bloodstream in order to keep her nourished and hydrated.
Severus had been dividing his time between Hermione and the Malfoy's.
Severus thought back to the Order meeting that had been called, and the events that had happened between them and now.
He reflected on how he had been aware that Minerva had been bringing Hermione to visit her friends and how uplifted he had felt in the knowledge that he was going to see her again.
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After he, Minerva, and Remus had arrived at Grimmauld Place, they shared a look at each other. They had known that Sirius was going to be addressed about his general reckless behaviour, and couldn't wait to have a go at him.
Once everyone had sat down for the meeting Alastor Moody addressed the Order.
"Hope everyone's enjoying their break, however, we need to get some things sorted out. There have been some recent attacks and fatalities in the last few days which shall be discussed shortly. But first, Black, we need to have a few words with you" Moody stated.
Every head swivelled to look at Sirius Black, who was sat with one eyebrow arched waiting for Moody to continue.
"Now Black, there have been some complaints from Order members about your vile behaviour. The only reason you're not back in Azkaban is because Dumbledore insists you are crucial to the Order and to the downfall of the Dark Lord. However, you foolishly leaving the safe house, getting drunk and carrying on with unsavoury women has reached a critical point" Moody paused for breath allowing the words to sink in.
Sirius had looked slightly shocked that he was receiving a dressing down but other than that he kept up a neutral demeanour.
"Oh come on Moody, even you have to admit that a man has needs" Sirius said, disbelief starting to show across his features.
"Well, your behaviour has caused concern and you shall be confined to the house and unable to leave, I'm sure we can find some magazines to provide you with some...entertainment" Moody replied.
Sirius' mouth was hung open. There was no way that the Order could do this to him. He had pouted like a child and folded his arms with a huff.
"You cannot do that" he snarled.
"Yes we can" Moody said slowly and in a low and dangerous voice.
Sirius looked around for help but realised that most of the room clearly agreed with Moody. Sirius glanced at Dumbledore.
"Albus, please, you cannot allow them to confine me to this house. I shall go mad" Sirius pleaded.
Dumbledore raised his hand up for silence.
"I'm afraid, Sirius, that I agree with them. This is for your own safety and Harry needs you, if anything were to happen to you it would make Harry blind and reckless to the war and it is likely he would be killed. We cannot take that risk Sirius" Dumbledore implored.
Sirius was angry and had started sulking in his seat, he refused to contribute and listen to the rest of the meeting, until he heard something of interest. He listened in on the meeting again, focusing back on Dumbledore.
"Unfortunately, there have been Death Eater attacks on some of the more obvious safe houses of the Order" Dumbledore began solemnly.
"I was informed by Severus that this was going to be taking place however, we were unable to defend and move the safe houses in time. Unfortunately they have been ransacked, pilfered and destroyed" Dumbledore continued.
"Merlin! Were there any casualties?" Tonks gasped, uncomprehending what she was hearing.
Severus glanced at the headmaster. He hadn't been informed by the Death Eaters if there were any casualties; he just knew that attacks were going to happen.
Dumbledore nodded.
"Unfortunately there have been two casualties. The parents of Hermione Granger unfortunately perished at the hands of the Death Eater attack" Dumbledore concluded.
There was silence; you could hear a pin drop.
"WHAT?!" Severus had exclaimed as he stood up, his heart was racing.
No, there was no way that Dumbledore was telling the truth. It couldn't be true, Severus knew that this would destroy his Hermione, and he didn't know what he could do to make it better.
Dumbledore nodded.
"Their bodies have been handed over to the muggle authorities" he said.
Minerva had a hand up to her mouth, trying to fight a sob of pain that she knew her lion cub would soon be in. Molly and Tonks looked disheartened at the news. The poor girl. Remus looked absolutely crushed, he knew Hermione had already been through so much in the last few months and he was sure that this would send her over the edge.
Moody cleared his throat.
"Unfortunately, we are at war and death is part of it. It is sad but most likely unavoidable; they are what we call collateral damage." Moody stated.
"Bullshit! They are her parents, they are therefore not collateral damage, how dare you be so insensitive you stupid man" Minerva shrieked at Moody.
Moody had the good grace to back down before he received a nasty hex.
"I disagree Minerva, they were just two muggles caught in the crossfire, it happens in war. Besides, Hermione probably was too busy having a closer relationship with her books than her parents. She probably won't be too cut up about it" Sirius stated from where he was sat.
Incensed, Severus lunged for Sirius.
"I fucked up your face once, and I will take pleasure in doing it again" Severus yelled as he started throwing punches at Black's face while the two men were rolling around on the floor.
No one knew exactly what to do, Tonks had looked at Remus like she half expected him to defend his best friend but when Remus made no move to help, Tonks looked at him
astounded.
Moody eventually snapped out of his shock, and pulled out his wand.
"ENOUGH!" He roared as he sent a spell to separate the pair.
Once separated, the two men glared at each other.
"Snape, you are dismissed from this meeting. Go find Granger and take her back to the castle and tell her what she needs to know" Moody glared at Severus.
Severus nodded and left the room before he found himself with a first class ticket to Azkaban.
Back in the meeting room everyone was silent and still looking at Sirius as he dusted himself off.
"Thanks for the help Moony" he said sarcastically to Remus.
Remus gritted his teeth.
"That wasn't even half of what you deserve and you know it! How could you Sirius?" Remus yelled at Sirius.
Sirius' expression looked bewildered and then something else happened, realisation set in and he looked at Remus and paled. Remus knew what he had done to Hermione Granger so many months before, which meant that Sirius was now in Remus' pocket. If he didn't keep Remus sweet, he was fucked.
"R-Remus, now, calm down" Sirius stammered as the werewolf took a few steps towards him.
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Meanwhile Severus had collected Hermione, and had sat her down in his rooms.
"Darling, I'm afraid there has been a rather unfortunate incident" Severus began, he was talking to her gently, and holding her closely, and it was terrifying Hermione. She was really worried now.
"Severus, please tell me what is wrong, what's happened?" She had asked him.
Severus took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes.
"Hermione, there was a Death Eater attack a few days ago and it appears there were some fatalities" he said pausing to let her absorb the information a little bit at a time.
She looked alarmed at the information.
"That's awful and people died? Is it someone from the Order" Hermione asked worriedly.
This was the hard part. Severus shook his head at her.
"No darling, the Death Eaters found the safe house where your parents were placed. They didn't make it, they're gone, I'm so sorry Hermione" Severus told her waiting for her to breakdown, he was more than prepared to be what she needed.
But she didn't breakdown, in fact, the correct way of putting it was that she just simply shutdown. There was nothing, her face, her eyes, her body, was just void of any emotion and any feeling. What scared Severus was that he couldn't even tell what was going through her mind and he didn't dare try to peek into her mind in fear that he would damage her mental state even more.
It was clear that Hermione was completely catatonic. She just sat and stared, not moving, it didn't even look like she was breathing.
Severus was at a loss of what to do, he eventually decided the best course of action would be to put her to bed, so he picked her up in his arms and carried her towards his bedroom. He made a mental note of how light she had become and vowed to make her eat a more substantial meal. He lightly deposited her on the bed and gently removed her shoes and brushed her hair away from her face with his fingers.
He placed the cover over her and just waited and watched her; he wasn't exactly sure what reaction he was expecting from her. A short while later he heard his floo flare and he poked his head out of his bedroom to see who it was.
Minerva, Poppy, and Dumbledore were headed towards him and they entered the bedroom. The four of them stared down at the girl who was still wide awake and hadn't moved an inch since Severus had placed her there.
"The poor girl, Poppy you will stay and assess her mental health every few hours. Minerva, you will stay here as a supportive figure to Miss Granger should she need it, and Severus- what is the girl doing in your rooms? In your bed?" Dumbledore asked.
Severus stared at the headmaster.
"I was told to bring her back to the castle and tell her what had happened. I flooed straight in here and told her, the girl has been in that state ever since. I certainly couldn't turn her away from my rooms even if I had wanted to, I didn't know what else to do" Severus informed the headmaster.
The headmaster looked at Severus contemplating Severus' response. Dumbledore knew there was more to the story.
"And that's why Miss Granger seems so comfortable in these quarters as if they were familiar to her?" Dumbledore questioned.
Severus was about to answer when Minerva stepped in.
"Now is not the time Albus, go away and do whatever it is you need to be doing. We can handle Miss Granger" Minerva told him.
Dumbledore looked slightly affronted that Minerva was giving him orders, but decided to leave the subject alone, he knew how stubborn Minerva could be and he had too much to do than to sit around and argue with her.
The headmaster nodded and turned on his heel and left.
Poppy immediately set about casting diagnostic spells to make sure Hermione's heart rate and pulse were fine; she also checked her blood pressure. After that the three adults just stood around in the bedroom not entirely sure what to do.
After a few minutes, Hermione suddenly turned to lie on her side, she moved over so she was only taking up half the space and left the covers peeled back slightly, she was staring up at Severus with what appeared to be a pleading expression ion her face.
"It looks like she wants you with her" Poppy stated the obvious.
Severus sighed, he was embarrassed that this was taking place in front of his former schoolteacher and healer and his now colleagues, but he knew he couldn't resist Hermione's demands when she looked so lost and broken.
He took off his shoes and his cloak and quickly transfigured his trousers into a pair of comfy sleeping bottoms, and he divested his shirt, and climbed into his bed next to Hermione. As soon as he had pulled the covers over himself, Hermione moved closer to him and lay so that her head was on his chest and one of her legs stretched over one of his thighs and rested between his legs, and with that she went to sleep as Severus held her.
Minerva and Poppy looked at the pair and then glanced at each other and smiled, they secretly shared a glance that agreed they were no longer needed and so they turned to leave.
Severus looked at them and went to open his mouth.
"Don't worry Severus, we realise that you will need to get back to the Malfoy's in the morning, we shall come back first thing to take care of her" Minerva promised.
Severus smiled gratefully, and watched as the two older witches left and then he turned to his Hermione.
'I don't think things could get any worse' he thought to himself as he succumbed to sleep.
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All Severus knew next was he was being shaken awake. He opened his eyes to find the two older witches staring down at him. They had come back as promised. He got up and began to prepare to head back to the Malfoy's; he hoped that Hermione would wake before he had to leave so he could see if she was alright. Alas, she didn't stir and Severus had to leave before his absence was noticed, he told the older witches that they were welcome to stay in his rooms as long as Hermione was being cared for. With one last glance at Hermione, he left to head back to the Death Eaters.
Severus entered the gates at Malfoy manor, and knew that the Dark Lord would be expecting him and a full report of the Order meeting from the previous day.
He walked into the drawing room and found Lucius and other high ranking members of the clan sat around the table awaiting the Dark Lord's entrance. Severus had made it just in time, as he took his place at the table the Dark Lord swept into the room and took his usual seat at the head of the table.
"Ah Severus, you are back. Any news for me and your brothers?" the Dark Lord asked.
"Dumbledore has made no plans in terms of upping security or protection, which means that he still doesn't see you as a potential threat. The only thing that was really discussed was the attacks on the minor safe houses, my Lord" Severus informed his dark master, having already discussed this answer with Albus.
"That is good, we are not yet ready for a full scale attack, but it is good that the old fool does not see us as a threat. Although I prefer to execute with a more dramatic flair, it is advantageous for us that he is keeping his security to a minimum. I suppose that ministry worker is not making things easier for that farce of a school?" the Dark Lord chuckled at the thought.
"Quite, my Lord. The headmasters focus is on her at the moment, rather than you, which I hope you forgive me saying so, but it's a good thing, my Lord" Severus said.
"Yes Severus, I am inclined to agree with you. Has that mudblood friend of Potter's been informed about the demise of her parents?" the Dark Lord asked gleefully.
Severus nodded.
"She has, and I dare say that she was in quite a state when I left this morning, a catatonic state that is" he drawled.
The Dark Lord chuckled darkly, the mere imagery amusing him.
"Excellent, now without her in the mix, Potter will be like a lost sheep and with the Weasley boy more focused on his injured father, Potter and his 'golden trio' have practically fallen apart" the Dark Lord was now sinisterly laughing, along with the other death eaters.
"This has put me in such a good mood Severus, thank you dear friend. Now, I must be going but Severus, I hope you enjoy the rest of your break, I will not be calling another meeting before term resumes" he said as he swept back out of the room.
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That had all happened three days ago now and the events were still playing in Severus' mind. He was worried about Hermione, who still hadn't snapped out of her state, she hadn't even spoken yet, it was slightly unnerving.
It had also been three days since the last Death Eater meeting and Severus had just received a message from Lucius, inviting him back to the manor for a drink and a chat. Severus figured that if he left now, it was only early afternoon; he could be back by early evening and spend the night trying to coax his Hermione back to reality.
He sighed as he prepared himself for an afternoon at the Malfoy's and once he was ready he stopped and took one last look at Hermione; she was awake and staring at absolutely nothing. The lights were on but no one was home. He went over and placed a light kiss on her cheek and stroked her hair away from her face.
"I promise I won't be long" he told her, although he doubted that she could hear him.
He grabbed a jar off the side to take to the Malfoy's with him, and headed for the manor.
Once there, he made his way to Lucius' study and knocked, once given permission, Severus entered and Lucius offered him a seat by the fire. Lucius poured a drink for the both of them and had opened his mouth to talk, when Draco walked in the room.
"Hello godfather" Draco said, bowing in respect to the two older gentlemen in the room.
"Good afternoon Draco, how are you today?" Severus asked in return.
"I'm alright, thank you for asking" Draco said monotonous, as if it was a rehearsed speech of etiquette that had been drilled into his head from the day he was born.
Draco was asked to join his father and godfather and was also poured a strong alcoholic drink. Draco took a gulp and started to relax in his seat.
"How is it Draco?" Severus asked pointedly.
Draco grimaced and pulled his left sleeve up to his elbow.
"It still burns" he said looking grimly looking at the dark mark that he had been forced to take a week earlier.
