Hello, my lovely readers.

Not so many reviews this time? This is the lowest it has been since Chapter 22. Geez. It can't all be romance- plot has to happen too.

Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate Christmas, Happy Hanukah to my Jewish readers, and just a Happy Friday to those who do not. And Happy Birthday to Hannoie- have an awesome birthday.

Here is the chapter, more about my personal stuff at the bottom.

Just to clarify, this chapter is in parallel to the last one. It starts at the same time- so this is Severus waking up the day that he and Hermione meet later.

Chapter 40

Severus woke suddenly, feeling the thumping of his heart heavy in his chest. His chambers in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were still and dark- not that there was anything other than artificial light down there anyway. With a practiced wave of his hand Severus lit the candles that were on various stands throughout the room.

The nightmare had been one that had once been familiar, but had faded with the introduction of other horrors into his life. There had been a time just after his initiation where the nightmare of getting the Mark had been behind his eyes every time he closed them, but now, more than two decades later, it had been left to only once or twice a year.

Just thinking of his Dark Mark and the initiation ceremony made his left arm twitch. Severus scowled down at the Mark, looking at the snake moving sluggishly under his skin. If there was a part of himself he hated above any other it would be this Mark, not his hair or his skin or his teeth but this foreign and disgusting tattoo that was more than simple ink. No, it was magic, vile and insidious, terrible magic that linked him to the Dark Lord for the rest of his life.

Well. He knew what had brought it on. Draco Malfoy, his godson, taking the Mark before he had even turned seventeen. At least the potion Severus had brewed had kept him from the worst of the pain.

When he checked the time Severus found that even if there had been windows in his dungeon bedroom they would have been black- the sun hadn't risen yet.

There were two choices before him- go back to bed and try to sleep or do something useful with his time. Severus chose the later as he almost always did when the dreams got too bad.

Belting a black dressing gown tightly around his thin waist, Severus left his bedroom for the kitchen. A pot of tea would do him good. Well... a pot of tea and three drops of the potion he had just recently perfected. He would need to be alert for what would happen later.

If he was going to talk to Draco successfully, he would need to be alert and focused, not tired. There was too much at stake- Hermione's life was not something Severus was ready to toy with.

It was a curious thing, to be torn between the boy he had sworn to protect and the woman he loved. Hermione Granger was more important than almost anything- but would he hurt Draco if the boy was going to hurt Hermione? Could he find it in him to hurt the white-blond child he had held as a babe?

Who was he trying to kid? The answer was a grim 'of course.' Severus had killed and killed again- people he knew, strangers, people in the awkward stage in between. He would kill to protect Hermione Granger and, unfortunately, Harry Potter.

His mind started to clear with the help of the potion. There was much to be done during the day- a meeting with Draco, hopefully away from his mother. Narcissa could, at least, be handled with more ease than say, her late sister or her husband. The only question was where to take Draco to talk in peace that wouldn't be suspicious. Malfoy Manor probably had more listening spells than wards on it, now, and taking him to Spinner's End wasn't the best idea.

It would have to be at Hogwarts, and therefore Severus would have to have an excuse of some kind. Bringing him through the wards the first time was bad enough, but it couldn't really be helped.

If it couldn't be helped, then Severus would need to tidy a bit. His rooms weren't a mess, persay- but the house elves hadn't cleaned the dishes, and there were at least three abandoned tea cups in the sitting room, accompanied by various towering piles of books.

Severus sipped his tea and sighed, looking out at the mess. He would call a house elf and it would be taken care of rather quickly.

He snorted. No, he wouldn't. He couldn't stand the idea of the little creatures going through his things. With a nasty scowl at the dirty dishes, Severus drained the last of the tea and set his mug down with a sense of finality. Time to get to work.

The boy sitting before Severus Snape did not look much different than he had a week before. At first glance, at least. Severus could see the trailing shimmer of Glamours hiding what must have been dark under-eye circles from lack of sleep and a slight tremble in his godson's hands than told him that, more than anything, Draco Malfoy was nervous in his godfather's presence. As they drank tea and discussed things of no import the trembling lessened slightly, solidifying the seemingly unbreakable Malfoy facade.

The talk petered out before long, leaving an uncomfortable silence. For Draco, at least. Severus used it to his advantage, quietly sipping what remained in his mug. The boy fidgeted, and, as expected, broke first.

"Why did you want to speak to me here, Uncle Severus?" he asked. Draco tried for a haughty look- it would have succeeded if the shimmer of the Glamours hadn't been evident when he tilted his chin up.

Severus set down his tea cup. "I wanted to check up on you. Are you pleased at having taken the Mark?" He let his question hang before gesturing around at the room. "What is said here remains between the two of us. The Headmaster can't hear you- and the Dark Lord will not either. If your mind's defenses are strong, at least."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "What are you on about?" The fidgeting stopped though, and he froze. Draco Malfoy was definitely listening.

Severus gave him a terse smile. "I believe you know exactly what I am 'on about,' Draco."

"And what do you want me to say?" Draco said angrily, glaring at his godfather. "Uncle Sev, I can't trust anyone right now. Not even my mother or my real uncles! And you want me to trust you?"

Severus nodded. "You are a Slytherin at heart, Draco. I doubted it when you were young, but you are beginning to come into your own now, outside your father's shadow. You were born into the game, you've seen it played all your life. Tell me what you see now. Let me hear you make your decision. Trust me... or not."

"And why should I trust you?" Draco sneered. "You've got one foot on either side of this war."

The boy was entirely rigid, in stark contrast to the way Severus was draped over his armchair. "That's exactly why you should trust me," the Potions Master drawled. "I can help you and you can help me. That is, if you want to pretend that this exchange is completely devoid of the sentiment mere mortals feel after having known each other for nearly seventeen years. Your entire life- I believe I was the third person to hold you as a child, Draco, and one does not take that lightly. As your godfather- in blood, by the ritual- I have no reason to wish harm upon you."

Draco frowned. "The ritual?"

Severus raised one lazy eyebrow. "Your parents never told you? I suppose it would be something of an embarrassment to have a half-blood be godfather to the scion of one of the purest families in Magical England. But yes, the usual ritual was completed. I did the potions myself- your cord blood, your mother's blood, your father's blood... all were entrusted to me." And I didn't use it all. Insurance, so to speak.

"No, I didn't know," said Draco, clearly discomforted. "Why?"

"Because I saved your father's life and he saved mine," Severus explained. "There were favors given and owed on both sides. Then there was the helpful chance of me being elevated to the Dark Lord's right hand shortly before you were born, and my close ties to your mother. And I knew the ritual- the Prince family on my mother's side had blood as old and pure as yours. Add to that the fact that I would be at Hogwarts to watch over you as you grew and hide any youthful indiscretions as your Head of House, as well as influence the rest of Slytherin House in your favor... it was a wise choice on the part of your parents, if I do say so myself. And out of it I got a permanent tie to the Malfoy family and a chance at having something like a child of my own without actually having to put up with a child."

There was no perfunctory laugh or grimace, just Draco's pensive face. "So I was being used as a pawn in the game even then."

"Everyone is a pawn and pureblood princes even more so," Severus drawled. "Don't worry- since then you've been upgraded to a rook, perhaps."

"And you?" Draco asked. "Are you a pawn?"

Severus gave a sharp smile. "A bishop. Or a knight."

"Or a queen?" Draco asked. "The black queen or the white queen?"

Severus stroked his chin absentmindedly, thinking the metaphor through. "I am actually interested to see how this metaphor plays," he murmured. "Dumbledore is the chess master on the white side of the board, the Dark Lord on the other. The white king would be Potter, the white queen, Granger." For the moment, at least, Potter wasn't the strongest piece, but the piece that needed to be protected at all costs. And Hermione- Hermione was the one who protected him. Who could do the things he couldn't, move in ways he couldn't.

"And their knight would be Weasley?" Draco asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Severus gave a sharp bark of a laugh. "Weasley is barely a pawn. The only reason he has that much importance is his value to Potter."

Draco let a small smile slip on to his face at that. "So Granger is the white queen..." he mused. "Why? She's just a Mudblood."

Severus was unable to stop his fist clenching reflexively to the word, but luckily Draco's eyes didn't see that. "That's what she wants the world to think. But you aren't an idiot, Draco. Think about Hermione Granger- why would you be told to kill her if she wasn't anything but a simple girl?" Draco opened his mouth, but Severus spoke over him. "I said to think, and that takes longer than half a second."

The mouth snapped shut. Silence reigned over the room for a few ticks of the clock as Draco stared at the fire. He twisted the heavy Malfoy family ring on his finger as he thought, the dull old metal catching the light in a strangely hypnotic way.

"She's always been at the top of the class," Draco said slowly, as he if was still sorting his thoughts. "Smart, no one can doubt it. A close friend of Potter's- but only after something happened that Halloween. Someone said something about the three of them fighting a troll but I didn't believe it."

"You should have," Severus said flippantly, ignoring the way Draco's eyes widened. "But continue."

Although his pale eyebrows had nearly merged with his hairline, Draco continued. "She punched me, our third year. That told me she was stupid enough to punch a pureblood, with our laws the way they are. She tried to save that hippogriff. All around golden girl until last year, really. Went into that maze came back all bloody. My father asked questions about her then, like a bloody interrogation."

"All your classmates, anyone who might know anything about her, were subjected to the same treatment," Severus told Draco, his tone conveying that his 'bloody interrogation' was nothing particularly special. "What else?"

Draco sighed in frustration. "I don't know? She follows Potter to the Ministry and accidentally winds up killing my aunt. Which Aurors and Azkaban have been trying to do for the last couple decades."

It's staring him right in the face and he doesn't even see it. "Which tells you what?" Severus snapped. "I'm starting to revise my opinion on your lack of idiocy."

An ugly flush suffused Draco's face, going down past his collar. "That she's good with a wand?"

"Do you really think that the Dark Lord would be concerned with creating a particular mission just to kill a girl who accidentally killed your aunt?" asked Severus sharply. "Use your brain, boy!"

Draco was starting to look less composed and more confused. "He wouldn't? I thought Auntie Bella was his favorite-"

"It doesn't matter," cut in Severus. "One person, no matter how valued they say they are, is actually cared for by the Dark Lord. That's lesson number one, Draco. The Dark Lord cares for no one; everyone is expendable. You, your father, me, Bellatrix. If she had been killed during a successful mission, he wouldn't be half as furious as he is now. He thought she was amusing because he liked her taste for the sadistic and took pride in the fact that he could have a follower so devoted she would fatally injure herself if he told her to. At the same time, she frequently annoyed him and he found that level of devotion pathetic. No, you haven't been told to kill Hermione Granger just because she 'accidentally' killed your aunt. Not that it was an accident, anyway."

The furrow between Draco's brows deepened. "Not an accident? Granger couldn't kill someone on purpose!"

Again, the short bark of a laugh, lacking any humor, left Severus' mouth. "Granger has killed more people than you have, and in cold blood. And younger than you too, I think. In the graveyard, during that summer, in the Ministry at least four deaths can be credited to her and probably more. Revise your opinion, and present again."

"So she's dangerous," Draco said, twisting the ring even faster. "So the Dark Lord wants me to kill her to get her out of his way."

"Correct, finally, and in more ways than one," Severus replied. "Do you think you are evenly matched to Hermione Granger?"

Draco nodded at once. "Yes."

"Then you are stupid," Severus snapped. "Because she can beat me two times out of five on a good day. How many times have you bested me in a duel?"

The gape mouthed look was not very attractive on Draco's face. "Wha- no. That's not possible, I've never beaten you! And since when do you duel Granger?"

"It is possible," retorted Severus. "I'm not lying to you right now; I have no reason to lie. Listen to what I'm telling you. Put all the facts together!" Severus was sure that part of his annoyance was stemming from the fact that his usual conversation partner was Hermione Granger and she would have put all the information together ten minutes ago. He was forced to remind himself that his godson wasn't thick, he was actually quite bright, but any teenager compared to Hermione Granger was, quite frankly, an idiot. How he had put up with them for the last twenty years, Severus did not know.

When Draco moved to talk again, Severus held up a hand. "Don't say a word," he said, his voice taking on something like a threatening tone. "I said I wanted you to think, so think. Silently. If that's too difficult, list all the facts aloud."

Although it deepened the red in his cheeks, Draco complied. "Hermione Granger is dangerous, I'm out matched, and yet I have to kill her."

"And do you think you will succeed in your mission?" Severus asked.

The realization drained some of the color out of Draco's face. "It depends," he said slowly, "on my motivation. What happens if I fail?"

"You sacrifice your freedom, your life, and perhaps the lives of your parents," replied Severus promptly. "Certainly the pride of the house. The Dark Lord successfully punishes the Malfoys, who haven't been able to do anything right. Lucius gets captured, Draco can't kill a Muggleborn girl... no one will think the worse of him for it and no one will envy the person who gets your task next."

Draco swallowed hard, his hands finally still. He was no longer playing with the ring- he was thinking hard. "And if I succeed?"

"You've probably imagined the scenario a hundred times by now," Severus said, aware that his voice was taking on a mocking cast. "Your family honor restored, your father proud, your mother proud, the Dark Lord proud... Status, respect, appreciation. It's wrong. You will have removed an enemy of the Dark Lord, you'll have more blood on your hands, and you will have redeemed your family for the moment. Until he is displeased again. And yet, the task was simple enough that if you brag about killing Hermione Granger, they will think you are stupid for thinking a victory against a Muggleborn chit is something to be proud of. There will be no status, no respect, and no appreciation."

There was no outward signs of distress as there would have been on Hermione. She would have bit her lip, perhaps, or tugged her hair. Draco just went still, the pulse in his throat jumping like a frightened animal. "So he's set me up," said Draco under his breath.

"The Dark Lord is the consummate Slytherin," Severus said quietly. "You, not even of age, had no chance of seeing his long game. You could only see half the board."

Draco glared bitterly at his godfather. "And you could see it all?"

Severus gave him half of a wry smile. "The benefit of playing both sides."

The mercury eyes of the scion of Malfoy House regarded Severus with a moment of clarity. "If you play both sides, you can win even if one loses," he murmured. "Or you can fall with one side. It all depends-"

"On how well you play the game," Severus finished.

"And how well do you play?" Those eyes seemed to stare right through him in that moment.

And yet, it was only a moment and then Severus had shaken it off. "Well enough." I don't know if I can win anymore. I'm in too deep on both sides. Hermione- Hermione would be the only one who would care. And if the Dark wins... well, then there wouldn't be a Hermione and I'm not sure I'd want to be somewhere she wasn't.

"Teach me," Draco said, the note of begging in his voice hidden just under the commanding tone. "Help me."

Severus watched him carefully, allowing the pause to stretch before responding. "Then answer my question. Are you pleased to have taken the Mark? Answer honestly- I'll know if you don't."

Draco scowled. "Bella taught me Occlumency before she died."

"There are other ways to know if someone is lying," Severus said tartly. "It is your final chance, Draco. Answer."

The boy in the chair glared at him. "What do you want me to say, Uncle Severus? That I'm delighted to be tied to that- that thing that doesn't even look human? That I am happy to be bowing and scraping to a half-blood in my own home, the ancestral seat of pureblood Malfoy power for the last eight centuries? That I want to kill one of my classmates or get killed by her? It wasn't supposed to end up likes this. This fucking thing on my arm disgusts me and I know I'm stuck with it for the rest of my life, however short it may be."

Severus waited a moment to see if there was more, when there was not he leaned forward in his chair, bracing himself on his knees. "I am going to offer you something, and I will only offer it once," Severus said quickly. "You know I play both sides. Would you like to take some control over the game?"

Draco sat straight up in his seat. "That's treason," he whispered.

"Not quite," Severus said. "Technically, it's double crossing. Here is how it works: You come before select members of the Order of the Phoenix, telling them you've changed sides. You want to help them. I will vouch for you, they will not trust you but they will accept your information."

Draco was rapidly paling. "I have to give information?" he asked. "That is treason, Uncle!"

Severus shook his head, returning to his former position. "You give information. You help them... and they help you."

"How could they help me?" Draco spat. "Bunch of filthy-"

Severus flicked his hand at Draco, sending a spell to silence him. "Hush, boy. You need to get to Granger, or risk the lives of those you care for. The Order can provide you with access to her- I can provide you with access to her." He waited a moment, then lifted the spell.

Draco was frowning. "They won't actually let me kill her," he said. "So what's the point?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "The Dark Lord will be displeased if you go long without making progress. So you poison her, the entire school sees it, everyone thinks she won't make it- and she miraculously survives. You couldn't have expected it, no one could. The Dark Lord sees that you were bold, that you almost succeeded, he knows you are trying. You make another attempt- she escapes again. Your other brothers will be trying to steal the limelight, will be trying to get to her themselves, but all of them will not even be able to get close to her. It will buy you time."

"And time is the only thing I need right now?" Draco asked sarcastically. "I think I need a bit more than time. Like to go back in time and get this thing taken off my arm!"

"Unfortunately, you know that can never happen," Severus said flatly. "But what if I told you the Order was looking into ways to remove or neutralize Dark Marks?"

There was no spreading of hope on Draco's face. "I'd say you were lying."

"Not quite," Severus said, nodding at the boy. "But they will be, if I ask them to. Especially since the Dark Mark has a link to the Dark Lord. What I am asking you is this: are you content to play the game with blinders on, or do you want to change the rules? Are you a pawn or not?"

This speech had been calculated very carefully to hit each on of Draco's weaknesses- he was a teenaged boy, so appeal to his ego. Appeal to his House pride, to his pride in his family name, to his arrogance. Severus knew exactly how to play him in order to get the response he wanted.

Draco's eyes flashed dark. "Not," he said in a low voice. "What do I need to do?"

"Nothing, yet," Severus answered, keeping a pleased expression from his face. "Hide this conversation under as many layers of Occlumency shields as you can. We will discuss this more when school begins again, and you aren't in such close proximity to the Dark Lord. Just know that you made a wise decision. Salazar Slytherin would be proud."

Hermione whistled softly after Severus shared his morning with her. "Wow," she said, rubbing the back of her head. "You are the master of this."

Severus gave her a pleased smile. "I know," he said loftily. "And you could never hope to match me." His uncharacteristically playful attitude made Hermione smile, even as she wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"And thanks for using me as bait, by the way," she retorted. "I'm sure I'll find being poisoned or attacked marvelous fun."

"My dear, it is for the Greater Good," Severus said solemnly, in an imitation of Dumbledore. "What is a few days with fever and vomiting if it means one poor soul will be saved?"

She stuck out her tongue. "Don't get me started," she said with a sigh. "I have to bring Harry back to watch the memories, and then we are going to have to start hunting down these Horcruxes. And we need a portion of memory from a man who altered his- do you know Professor Horace Slughorn? Apparently he was a professor while Riddle was at Hogwarts."

Severus' eyebrows snapped together. "Yes- he was the Potions Master when I was a boy. And the Head of my House. Had his little Slug Club- I was only invited when he saw my skill in Potions. He never really liked me, though- Black and Potter were more up his alley. Charming, handsome, talented..."

"You are all of those things," Hermione said softly, going to sit next to him. She leaned her head against his arm. "Well- maybe not charming in the classical sense. You do have your own kind of snarky charm after one gets over the fact that you are, without a doubt, a bastard of the highest degree."

"I know very well who my father is, thank you very much," Severus replied tartly, putting an arm around her carefully. "I didn't get this horror of a nose from my mother alone."

Hermione stretched up to press a small kiss to the tip of his admittedly long nose. "I like it anyway," she told him. "What should I call you, if not a bastard? An arse? A git? A dungeon bat?"

"It didn't take you long to come up with those," remarked Severus. He was making a determined effort not to feel hurt, but it wasn't quite working.

Hermione laughed softly. "You have Ron to thank for most of them. He's not your greatest fan."

"Oh?" asked Severus. "And who holds claim to that title?"

"It's a secret," Hermione said, tapping him lightly on the nose. "But back to business. You need to give me your report on what you've heard from our spy network, and then we need to go over the plan to take Harry to Dumbledore."

Number Four Privet Drive was still bathed in the same muggy heat that had held its residents captive the last time Hermione had visited Harry. The same Order member who she had Oblivated last time was posted in the park, sweating profusely as he pretended to read a Muggle newspaper.

Petunia Dursley opened the door at the first knock, giving Hermione a dour look as the witch stepped inside. She was wearing a light pink sundress decorated with small blue flowers- it seemed oddly homey, unlike the fancy clothes the woman usually tried to wear.

Hermione had her answer for the change in a moment. "Vernon is on a business trip, if you want to stay here," Petunia ventured, without even a greeting. "He wouldn't bother you."

Surprised, Hermione took a moment to answer. "We have an appointment with the Headmaster, so we won't be staying," Hermione replied. "But thank you."

The woman sniffed and went up the stairs, calling for her nephew. Harry practically flew down the stairs, grinning when he reached Hermione. "What's all this about, then?"

Hermione returned his smile and hugged him. "You have a meeting with the Headmaster. We'll be off now- we can't Apparate in here or we'd set off the Ministry wards."

"What time will Harry be back?" asked Petunia.

Hermione glanced at her watch. "I have no idea," Hermione said truthfully. "Don't worry about food- he'll be getting lunch and dinner with me. If you want to go to bed and we're not back, just leave the door unlocked. No one would be able to come into your house, not with the wards around this place."

Harry and Petunia looked surprised. "What?" asked the woman. "I can't just leave my house unlocked-"

"Yes, you can," Hermione interrupted. "There is magic on this place to stop anyone with bad intentions from entering. In fact, no one can enter unless they are keyed into the wards or are welcomed inside."

"That'll explain why we've never had the door-to-door salesmen round here," Harry said thoughtfully.

Hermione nodded. "Exactly. But it shouldn't be a problem- I expect that we'll be done in the afternoon and I'll take Harry for some dinner before we come back."

The two teenagers left the house, turning down the block toward the park as if they were going for a walk. Harry couldn't wipe the smile off his face- anything that got him away from the Dursleys during the summer made him happy.

"So what's going on?" Harry asked cheerfully. "I thought we were supposed to do this a while ago."

Hermione nodded, her serious face an odd contrast to her companion's light hearted mood. "It was, but something came up. A bad something, Harry. I can't tell you now, but maybe later." She held out a hand, grabbing his jacket and stopping him in the street for a moment.

"What is it, Hermione?" Harry asked, a thread of wariness creeping into his tone.

How to explain this? "You are going to be receiving a lot of important information today, Harry," Hermione warned. "Have you been practicing your Occlumency exercises like I've told you to?"

Harry nodded earnestly. "Yeah. You said I couldn't get more information until my Occlumency was up to snuff." His wide green eyes met hers with a total lack of guile.

She did as she had done so often before, slipped into his mind with a slight pressure of her will. It was effortless, gliding though his thoughts like a fish through water, until- a wall. A strong one, but one she might have missed if she was only trying to peruse his surface thoughts.

Harry frowned, trying to close his eyes as she held him captive with Legilimency. Finally, when she was satisfied his wall was strong, she pulled away. "Good," she pronounced. "I think you're ready."

"What the hell!" Harry said in a harsh whisper. "You can't just invade my mind like that, Hermione!"

Patting his arm, Hermione began to walk again. "Then keep me out next time," she told him firmly. "But. Back to what I was saying. Today is going to be a kind of information over load. If you feel like it, we can go to dinner at the Weasleys, but if you would rather be alone or have some quiet time to think, we can go somewhere else."

The Apparition site was at the end of the next road they turned down, an abandoned park that was rather overgrown with trees. It was the perfect spot because the trees hid their Apparition from view, and any sound made by the Apparition was far away from the neighborhoods.

They were nearly at the park when the skin at the back of Hermione's neck prickled. It wasn't a physical reaction as much as it was a sensation; the eerie feeling that someone was behind them and watching them. Harry felt it too, apparently- one hand went to the back of his neck, rubbing it absentmindedly.

Hermione picked up her pace slowly, withdrawing her wand so the handle was comfortingly heavy in her hand. "I think we are being followed. Keep calm."

Thankfully Harry was smart enough not to whirl around and look behind them, but he did stiffen slightly. "What do we do?"

Hermione laughed loudly enough so that it would carry to their shadow, ducking in close to Harry and linking her arm with his. "We get ready. I would have liked to be behind trees before Apparating but I don't think it can be helped."

A jet of red light, a Stunner, singed the hair on Hermione's head just as she began to turn. She had dodged it just in time- as she and Harry spun away and were compressed into time and space, she saw their attacker send three more spells into the space they had just inhabited.

The duo landed in a field not far from Hogsmeade, hearts beating fast. "What the hell was that?" Harry demanded, leaning over and bracing himself on his knees as he waited for his breath to come back.

"Death Eaters, I'd bet," Hermione replied, short of breath herself. Her concentration had been off while Apparating, and the trip had been more jarring than it normally was. "Fuck."

"You can say that again," said Harry, standing straight. "Hogwarts, now?"

Hermione frowned- she wanted to go after their attacker, go back and hunt him down to make sure he wouldn't carry back anything to his master. But she couldn't leave Harry to walk to Hogwarts alone. "Yeah. Give me your arm. I'll Apparate us closer. This was a bit farther than I wanted to be."

The linked arms and with another twist they were off again, a much smoother and shorter journey. The tightness in Hermione's chest barely lasted a moment, and they had landed properly, right before the gates of Hogwarts.

McGonagall was there, waiting to let them in. The old Scottish woman smiled to see them. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger. A delight to see the two of you. Where is Mr. Weasley?"

Hermione gave their Head of House a broad smile as she and Harry crossed the threshold of the ancient castle, feeling the safety of the castle's wards settle around them. "This a trip just for Harry and me," she answered kindly. "The Headmaster wanted to meet with Harry and asked that I bring him."

McGonagall chatted with them about a variety of things as they made their way to the Headmaster's office, their voices echoing through the empty halls of the castle. Harry was experiencing the same sense of unease that Hermione had the first time she had visited the castle over the summer. The emptiness was disarming, especially when the only time the halls were this bare was the middle of the night during the school year. Even then the castle breathed with students sleeping and teachers patrolling and ghosts wandering around their various haunts.

When they ascended the spiral stairs and entered Dumbledore's office, McGonagall gave Harry a long look, then patted him twice on the shoulder and left with a warm goodbye. It was affectionate for her- Hermione knew that Minerva McGonagall had suffered long and hard at the hands of Voldemort and his followers and to see hope in Harry was the only thing that kept her going some days.

"Harry, Hermione, it is an absolute pleasure to see you," Dumbledore said warmly. "I trust your trip was uneventful?"

Hermione cleared her throat, stepping forward. "Actually, Albus, we were attacked. I got us away in time, but they know that Harry lives somewhere in that neighborhood. I don't think it's safe for him to go back."

The reaction she had been expecting wasn't the one she received. "Then he won't. I'll ask Molly if he can stay at the Burrow. I think a quick trip to pack wouldn't go amiss."

The joy on Harry's face was heartbreaking. "Really? I can just- leave?"

Dumbledore's sharp gaze turned to Hermione. "I have the feeling that if I refused I would get an earful from your protector. You can stop by the Dursleys this afternoon to pack, and then make your way to the Burrow. Now. Let's get down the business. We will begin with this memory, from Mr. Odgen of the Ministry of Magic..."

Hermione leaned against the wall of Harry's room, watching as the boy methodically shoved his belongings into his large traveling trunk: shirts, books, robes, trainers, owl food, socks, parchment and ink, and a scattering of other odds and ends. He moved with slow precision, half lost in thought. Since they had left the Headmaster's office, he had been quiet, almost uncharacteristically so.

Well, it wasn't her place to break him out of his thoughts until she needed to. Instead Hermione inspected the small bedroom. There was a good sized window that had once held bars, but was now open to the night. Hedwig had already left for the Weasley's, leaving only her empty cage on the worn desk in the corner. The desk was scattered with newspapers and half started letters. It was a messy clutter, with the dirty bird cage on one end and the papers and a chipped mug with one pen and once stub of a pencil on the other. Harry's closet door was wide open as he transferred clothes into his trunk, and she could see the remains of what had to be Dudley's broken toys at the bottom. Harry's bed was unmade, a mess of sheets and a light blanket.

"I'm done," Harry announced, closing his trunk with a definitive clunk. "I'm ready." He stood, but didn't make a move to leave.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked gently. "It's a lot to take in."

Harry crossed his arms defensively. "Yeah. Yeah it is. But I guess I'm fine. I just need to think about it. Can we tell Ron?"

Hermione shrugged. "It's up to you. I don't think Dumbledore would have a problem with it. But I would wait until we were back at school, so the three of us can discuss it together. I think it would be best if Ron was under the assumption it was my first time hearing this information." Instead of my third, Hermione finished in her head.

The slight frown that had been lurking on Harry's face deepened. "Aren't you going to tell him about- well, about you?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. Not unless it is absolutely necessary. He doesn't remember much from the Ministry and I want to keep it that way."

"Why?" asked Harry. "It doesn't feel right to lie to him."

Hermione bit her lip. "I know, Harry. Ever since all of this started it hasn't felt right not to tell the two of you everything. But I had to put my feelings aside in order to make sure that you were safe. If I had my way about all of this, neither of you would have ever figured it out. The way-" she paused. She hadn't expected the nearly overwhelming rise of emotion that was pressing at her throat. "The way you sometimes look at me nearly breaks my heart, Harry. I never wanted to be anything more than a friend, and I didn't want you to ever treat me like anything less or more."

She had been staring at the floor- a dingy, untied trainer came into view and then Harry had flung his arms around her. Startled, Hermione wrapped her arms around him as well.

"I still trust you," Harry murmured in her ear. "It was just a shock." He was too thin- she could feel his ribs and hear his heart pounding in his chest.

Hermione closed her eyes slowly, clinging to her best friend. "Thank you, Harry."

"I saw what you went through, remember?" Harry added. "And you told me. You gave up everything for me and I can't thank you enough."

Hermione clung to him a moment more, then pulled away gently. With a careful hand she patted down his hair, a brief maternal gesture that she had done a hundred times before. "Of course you can. Are you ready for the Burrow?"

Harry gave her a wry grin. "Is anyone ever ready for the Burrow?"

No, thought Hermione. "I suppose we have to go anyway," Hermione said. "Come on- we can Apparate from here now that Dumbledore set it up. Do you want to say goodbye to your aunt?"

"Not particularly," Harry admitted, linking his arm with hers.

"Got a firm grip on your trunk?"

"Yes."

Hermione smiled at him. "Then let's go."

And so ends Chapter 40.

Life has been kind of suckish lately. I got my wisdom teeth out on Monday... which means pain. Lots of it. And then the worst part was that for the last few days, I haven't been able to keep anything down... including the pain meds. So while it wasn't so bad when I had the Vicodin, as soon as the throwing up started (not fun when doing so threatens to rip open your stitches) I couldn't keep the pain meds in long enough to work. So I'm miserable. And it's Christmas which sucks even more.

But life in general has been been fine. I got straight A's and one A+ (In anthro of course) and... I GOT THE MALTA FIELD SCHOOL! I am one of 12 people selected from all over the world to do my own research- I'm 18 years old and I am designing and conducting my own study. Not helping someone else with their study, doing my own. I could get published in an academic journal at age 18! It's insane! And I also get to spend a few weeks in beautiful Malta collecting data and living in an apartment and doing anthropology. I was completing for these slots with people from all over the world, people with way more experience and more degrees than I have, and I got it. So I'm psyched.

And for those wondering how the whole boy situation is... well, I've been on a few dates with Aristide and he's nice- we're kind of together now- it's complicated. My roommate has finally kissed Alfred (her crush) and Sabin the jerk is still a jerk. In my opinion, kissing is weird. Still. But now it's more fun weird than gross weird.

But.. there is a reason I overwhelm you with details about my RL. I would like to remind everyone that I am a person with a real life (as I am sure you know way more about than you want to), and that means that fanfic sometimes comes second. Please, please do not badger or bug me to update or insinuate that I don't know how to manage my time because I can't update every week on schedule. I'm a busy college student- and I'm a chronic overachiever, so I'm doing more than most students. I'm successful and I'm busy and I have friends who need me- which is why I share a portion of my life with you in these AN's. I know most of you understand this, and thank you for acknowledging that I can't always update as fast as I'd like. I need time and motivation to write, and that can be hard to find when real life is being stressful or just taking up all my time. I'm sorry if this offends some of you- I'll blame it on the fact that I got my wisdom teeth out and I can't take any pain meds, plus over all holiday stress.

Excerpt:

She's shoving me into the bloody closet? With a half snarl on his face, Severus folded himself into Hermione's closet just as she opened her door to Cedric.

Next update will be... I don't know. I need to finish Chapter 43 and 44 before I post next, so it might be a while. I'll post it on my tumblr. Please review- I do love hearing from all of you and it reminds me why I want to try to finish this epic.