Dark Marks, Orders and Auror's chapter 3.

Dark Announcements.

By Chris.

Summary: Hermione announces to the school the news of the Order of Auror's presence with a mixed response. An apology for their last fight arrives from Ron, and Hagrid gives her something to think about regarding her relationship with Ron.

Chapter 3

Dark Announcements.

Since the death of the Longbottom's were reported in the daily Prophet, some three day's after they had actually been killed (Another attempted cover up of the facts by the Ministry of Magic. Hermione seriously doubted that 'It stopped the spread of panic.' Surely not knowing was so much worse, especially when the Dark Mark had been there, bold as brass for all to see), the school had been in a stupor. Everywhere she went, Hermione saw pale and scared faces. Students walking together in groups, and jumping at shadows. Even the pictures on the walls, having heard that the Death Eaters had killed someone over at Hogsmead village, were acting odd: Several pictures had disappeared completely, and Hermione had only, the previous night, found out they were all hiding in a picture of a castle with a moat that had a sea monster guarding it; another picture, of a woman dressed in medieval clothing, seemed to have developed a fear of the dark, and to everyone's annoyance screamed loudly after sunset so much so, she had to be given a large number of candles to decorate the room she resided in; and perhaps the most annoying of all, was the Sir Cadogan, who challenged everyone that passed his picture to a duel, having accused them of being a death eater.

It was for these reasons, that Hermione had delayed telling the school about the rumours of the Order of Auror returning to the country. She finally realised she could put it off no longer, Dumbledore had agreed that people needed to know, and had told her she must have faith in the students. Now that the newspaper had got hold of the story (Though it was never printed; the Ministry pulled out all the stops to prevent it getting out. Hermione only knew the papers had it because Ron had sent her an owl on the matter), Cornelius Fudge already knew of the matter too, so keeping quite, to the contrary of what Cornelius himself believed, would help no one.

Outside, and reflected in the great halls roof, the sun shone brightly, with no trace of the typical late-summer rain. In fact, there was not a cloud as far as the eye could see in the light blue sky. As Hermione entered the great hall, the otherwise beautiful day seemed to turn dark incredibly fast. Most of the staff were already there, on the most part looking alarmed, having already heard the news from Hermione the day previous. Hagrid looked the most affected by the news, his usually cheerful face was white as a sheet, with his hair looking as wild as a trolls mane. Hagrid was sitting next to a shocked Professor Trawlery ('Bet she never saw that one coming,' thought Hermione, darkly.), staring straight ahead twiddling his thumbs, not even noticing Hermione enter. He looked tired and jumpy; Hermione knew he couldn't have got any sleep last night, she had been the same ever since she, herself, had found out. Snape had a look of loathing etched upon his face, which was scrunched up with his eyes narrowed menacingly. Hermione could see an unintentional snarl escaping from his clenched teeth when she announced it.

As she took her seat, Hermione wondered if her face resembled Hagrid's own look. Her hair must be near wild now, and she must clearly look very tiered; perhaps too tiered. Would the students all notice how fragile she looked now, and write home to their parents? Should she expect a letter of suspension from the Board of Governors writing her off as 'not good enough?'

As students sleepily made their way into the hall for breakfast, Hermione's resolve only grew stronger. She would tell them, just as Dumbledore would have done if her were the headmaster still; rather then leading the fight against Voldemort. Slowly, one student at a time, the hall filled. It was full of happily chattering students, who conversed eagerly, many wiping their eyes to wake themselves up. It was always a different place in the morning, most of the students were carefree.

An hour later, after the students had all had time to eat—Hermione herself forced down a slice of toast, and some orange juice; Hagrid however hadn't eaten at all—and after the regular influx of owls that swooped en-mass into the hall carrying letters and parcels, Hermione finally debated whether the time to tell them was then. One excuse after another, Hermione found to delay telling them. What if they hadn't finished eating yet? They should be given time to digest. Some of them might be reading letters still.

From her right, someone cleared their throat. She turned to see the beetle black eye's of Hagrid fixed on her. 'If yer goin' ter tell 'em, Hermione, now would be the time,' he said.

With a nod, Hermione got shakily to her feet, and cleared her throat loudly to get everyone's attention. 'If I could have everyone's attention... Russell White and Gale Dean!'

The two third year students turned abruptly to face the headmistress's narrowed eyes, ceasing their conversation in it's tracks.

'I have recently received some disturbing news from the Ministry. I know many of your parents will not agree with me telling you, but I believe, as I'm sure Dumbledore himself believes, you have a right to know. You are all very much a part of this war, and our world. I'm sure you are all aware of the deaths of the Longbottom's, and Alicia Spinnet-'

A low whisper that had been gradually been growing louder throughout Hermione's talk eventually became full scale gossip, as many coined on to the fact that this had something to do with Voldemort (As if any 'disturbing' news had anything to do with anyone but Voldemort.). Hermione paused for a second to allow the whispers to die down, though a few students still insisted on throwing out theories, until of course Hermione's patented 'BE-QUITE-NOW' expression brought complete silence.

'-As I was saying, I'm sure you are all aware that Voldemort has become more daring in his attacks now. That is why someone in the Wizarding world felt it appropriate to try and end this. Something is going to happen over the next few days, perhaps even weeks and months, that we should all be aware, and wary of. Your safety is what I aim to keep above all others, that is why all trips to Hogsmead are cancelled until further notice.'

A loud groan escaped from the crowd, the third years in particular were the loudest, while the older years though disappointed, had already been to Hogsmead countless times before. A few of the first years, though groaning with the crowd, looked completely baffled as to what this 'Hogsmead' was until fellow students explained it under the cover of groans and moans.

'You can't do that,' someone shouted out, then realising what she'd done clamped a hand over her mouth and added in muffled haste, 'It's... Er... Not fair. I wanted to buy... polish.'

'Which you can use to clean the coats of arms during your next detention, Lea' said Hermione with a hint of humour. The girl immediately sat back down. 'Now I know the third years in particular wanted to visit Hogsmead, as, for some of you it would have been your first time in a completely Wizard village.'

A few murderous looks spread across the Slytherin table, as those that had never seen a completely wizard village were more often then not those that had grown up in Muggle backgrounds. A trait that was not highly regarded in Slytherin house. Hermione seemed not to notice, and forced a small smile.

'But at this time it is too dangerous. I did however pull a few strings, and this weekend, when the first Hogsmead trip of the term was due to take place, there will be two guest appearances; Fred and George Weasley will be here-' said Hermione, and then, with slight irritation added, 'no doubt giving out a few of their latest concoctions.'

This went quite a way to cheer up the school—as Fred and George were quite infamous in the Wizarding world, especially after becoming multinational; which they achieved after buying out Zonko products—in what was becoming an emotional roller coaster. Hermione waited patiently the eager talk to calm, then she would have to tell them something that would no doubt dampen most of their spirits.

'The reason the trip to Hogsmead has been cancelled is that someone inside the Ministry is believed to have given information to the Order of Auror about how to come back.'

As some of the faces fell in the crowd, others seem to pick up, taking more notice.

'What faction?' someone shouted.

'The-' Hermione swallowed a lump that had suddenly formed in her throat, muttered 'sorry,' and then, for all to hear, darkly announced, 'The Two... The Ministry of Magic has brought in "The Two."'

The result was both mixed, and immediate: Many of the first years seemed to pale beyond all comparison, though some seemed not to know this word like so many others; one boy sitting at the end of the Hufflepuff table leant violently over, bringing back up the food he had just eater; a few people in the room broke out in muffled sobs, heads pressed firmly against the table whilst friends attempted to comfort them; some in the older years seemed completely awed at this announcement; and one group of Slytherin's seemed to revel in the fear and terror that was only matched by the fear and terror Voldemort brought; and the only other reaction was of hope.

'The Order of Auror!' Hermione heard someone at the nearest desk say.

'Not just any mark,' someone answered. 'Harry Potters! You-Know-Who's got his work cut out now.'

'NOW I KNOW THIS HAS COME AS A BIT OF A SHOCK-' Hermione shouted loudly, once again earning the attention of the students.

'Hagrid, can you go and get Poppy please?' she quickly added in a hushed tone. 'Some of the first years are looking sick.'

'-but this doesn't mean things should change inside the castle,' Hermione continued, making some headway in calming everyone's nerves. 'Everything that's going to be happening over the next few weeks will be happening away from the castle. Hogwarts is the safest place in the Wizarding world-' she announced, though she couldn't help but think that the statement didn't mean much in these dangerous days. '-and nothing bad will come to pass here. Now, I'm sure you all have lessons to go to, and much gossiping. For the lady's, I hear on good grounds George Weasley is single again.'

A genuine chuckle escaped from a few students.

'Madame Pomfrey will be down shortly. If you're feeling ill, stay behind, and she will see to you.'

The majority of the school quickly shuffled out the three exits the great hall had.

~*~

Madame Pomfrey arrived a few minutes later, walking quickly to keep up with Hagrid who took his usual giant strides that were twice—some times thrice—as big as anyone else's. Grasped in her hand was a small bag, carefully woven from dragon hide, that sparkled ever so softly in gleaming yellow of the tapestry that hung high above. The ray's of yellow that hit, reflected into greens and soft reds, that had clearly once wrapped tight around a Norwegian Redback. Her frantic motions started the bag in a gentle sway, as one of ancient times would standing atop a giant wale in the middle of a gentle ocean, rocking to and fro with the breeze (Only it rocked to and fro with her step). As she continued her near running pace to stay side by side with Hagrid, the sway of the bag becoming more pronounced; swinging hastily in tune to her stride, slowing her down as it swung back, and almost tipping her over, as it swung forward. The short woman had to take quicker steps whenever the bulging bag—which was obviously full to the very brim with countless remedies, potions and treatments—came hurtling forward.

The school nurse didn't look at all pleased, she was most adamant that Hermione should consider the consequences of telling the students about the Order of Auror, a name that, for some at least, invoked panic almost as much as the mention of Voldemort himself. With a scowl written plainly across her fat face, Madame Pomfrey immediately set about seeing to the few students that were left in the Great Hall, poking and pulling them about.

Eventually the numbers began to dwindle, only a few students were left over, Madame Pomfrey looked at one of them in particular with a note of sympathy. He couldn't have been much taller then the Transfiguration teacher, Dave, and looked to be standing on unsteady feet. His eye's gleamed with a look of worry, and his hands trembled with fear. Rummaging through her bag, Madame Pomfrey soon pulled out a small clear bottle, in which a red liquid substance filled the bottle three-quarters. A label on the bottle, written in Madame Pomfrey's own handwriting, read:

Tranquillity Potion No.8

Warning: Contains Red Worttle Extracts.

Hermione remembered quite clearly that Red Worttle was a plant that grew only in selected regions of south Europe and Africa, and though renowned for it's potent relaxation properties, it could have some inadvertent effects if the Witch or Wizard was allergic to it's spores. Shaking the bottle, and after careful questioning, Madame Pomfrey gave a small amount of the liquid along with some orange juice to the boy.

Soon enough, most of remaining students were fine again, especially once they'd had time to fully digest the situation, and remember that Hogwarts was one of the few places 'The Two' couldn't enter.

The student that had taken the "Tranquillity Potion No.8" left minutes later, through Halls left exit—which lead to the east tower—in a highly rambunctious, sing-song voice, that made Hermione wondered if perhaps Madame Pomfrey hadn't given him a little to much Red Worttle additive.

As soon as the last of the students left, Madame Pomfrey retreated hastily back to the medical office, leaving Hagrid and Hermione alone in the great hall. The two friends and colleagues began to walk in silence to where they were due. Since both Hermione's office, and Hagrid's room were in the same area of the castle, they walked together for much of the way. Hermione thought about the situation over and over again, and about what she could have done to have caused less panic. In her daze, she almost walked into the corridor that had only been discovered last year but luckily Hagrid pulled her back.

The empty corridor had been triggered by a secret lever disguised as a candle in one of the dungeons. However, this corridor wasn't like a normal corridor, it only had one entrance for a start, and liked to, annoyingly, transport people all the way to the other side of the castle whenever they walked through it. They would simply walk down it without realising what corridor it was, come to a dead end and return the way they came, but when the walked back, however, they would find themselves in the kitchen, the greenhouses; one student was even transported to a secret room that opened out into the lake. Since it's discovery, many a student had been late for class with wild story's of how they ended up the other side of Hogsmead. But in general, it was more of an annoyance then anything.

Having realised that Hermione was pondering over the situation, Hagrid finally spoke. 'They seem a lot happier,' said the half-giant. 'Yeh did the right thing, Hermione. It might seem bad now, but it'll be better in the long run. I'm sure o' it.'

'Yeah,' Hermione said faintly, as though not really believing it. 'I know that... It's just. I don't know...' Trailing off, the brunette seemed to search for the right words, chewing on her bottom lip as she always done when thinking. They reached the end of the corridor until she finally finished what was playing across her mind. 'Dumbledore would have handled it better.'

'Yer very much like Dumbledore. In many way's,' said Hagrid, thoughtfully. His beetle black eye's twinkling slightly as a burning candle—one of the few still lit—that hung from the wall shone off them, lighting up the whole of his face; a great contrast when compared to the dark of the corridor they were walking in now. Hermione, it seemed, had chosen a route that adequately reflected her mood. Whether or not this was intentional, Hagrid didn't know.

For a moment, Hermione seemed lost for words, her stride changing slightly, and she quietly muttered 'Thank you.' A slight blush spread across her whole face, and the edge of her mouth curled up in a grateful smile. 'I only wish it were true,' she said, with a hint of sadness behind the smile.

'Yer more alike then yeh think,' said Hagrid, waving his huge hands wildly to make his point. As he done so, he very nearly knocked an empty picture from it's position on the wall. 'It doesn't matter how Dumbledore would have handled it—and let me tell you, he wouldn't o' handled it any different ter how you did—what matters is, yeh done what yeh thought was right. Yeh didn't back down when yeh though the board of governors didn't agree with yeh. You and Dumbledore are the same in that way; yeh act with yer heart, and yer head. But yer different as well, Hermione. Yeh have ter remember, yer not Dumbledore. What yeh are though, is a good witch—the best I've seen in a long time—and a good person, one that I'm honoured ter call a friend. Yeh should stop trying to fill in fer Dumbledore, as if he were still the head here and do things yer own way. This is yer school...'

Hermione stopped abruptly, outside an empty room. The words Hagrid spoke, had, apparently, managed to get through. 'You know what, Hagrid,' she said, appreciatively. A smile formed on her face. 'You're right. Thank you.'

'What,' said Hagrid, blushing. 'Oh... Er, yer welcome.'

The two once again began walking, and turned right when they reached a junction with a coat-of-arms on either side. This time, however, the corridor was lighter then the others; a large window that opened up high above the rows of paintings let sunlight shine through. Soon they neared Hermione's office, passing a picture of a set of pixies who were trying to pull a large chest of gold back to their own frame (but quickly, and with muffled yelps, dived behind it, out of sight when they saw the Hermione approaching; one of them accidentally tripping over a small gold coin that had fallen out of the chest, and falling on it's flat, ugly face—that seemed reminiscent of a bulldog—with an angry shout).

Hagrid glanced back at the pixies who had resumed in their attempts to get the gold back to their frame, which stood the other end of the corridor. 'So, Ron came ter see yeh then, I gather,' he said.

'Yes,' said Hermione, stiffly. The heated argument with Ron still played on her mind, along with so many other things: The Order of Auror and the possibility of seeing Harry and Ginny again; the possibility of Harry and Ginny getting caught by the Dementors, or Voldemort; the revelations about Ron missing her, and of course, the argument; and last but not least, until that morning, announcing to the students the news about the Order of Auror.

Quickening the pace, she looked to be debating whether or not to tell Hagrid about her encounter with Ron. She glanced around sceptically, narrowing her eye's as they passed the empty frame of the pixies, then gave in. Hermione explained what Ron had said about missing her, and how she had admitted that she missed him to. Hagrid of course, couldn't see the problem.

'You know,' said Hermione, hushing her voice so much so, that Hagrid had to bend down to hear what was being said. 'You know that it was Ron who told Harry exactly how to get into the Ministry headquarters? That if it wasn't for everything Ron told him, Harry wouldn't have been able to kill those people? Or at least, he wouldn't have been able to escape as well.'

'Yes,' said Hagrid, nervously. They had changed to an, until then, off-limits topic. 'Almost cost Ron his job in the Ministry.'

Hermione looked down to the floor, frowning. 'Well, I kind of threw it in his face,' she said, shamefully. 'We got into an argument—can't we see each other just once without an argument-' she asked herself. '-And I mentioned that.'

'And I bet he said some things that he didn't mean as well,' said Hagrid, still leaning over so as to keep the conversation hushed. His new moleskin overcoat that bared the Hogwarts logo, hung loosely to one side, draping along the floor.

'He brought up Draco,' said Hermione, still with the same look of regret on her face. 'But that's no excuse for me to have brought that up.'

The two turned one last corridor and at the far end, a large statue of a Gargoyle that marked the secret entrance to Hermione's office came into view.

'You and Ron have been like that as long as I've know yeh, both as stubborn as any person I've ever met,' said Hagrid. The half giant stood up straight, his back giving a protesting click as he done so. 'It's not my place to say... but if yeh ask me, yer both acting like students at this school, not like the headmaster, and someone in the Ministry o' Magic. Yeh have to ask yerself, how do yeh really feel about Ron? I know that Ron's crazy about...' Hagrid broke of abruptly, his face contorting with a look of horror. 'Forget what I said.'

'Ron came to see you, did he?' said Hermione, grinning like the cat that ate the canary. 'What exactly did he say?'

'Er ...' said Hagrid, looking shiftily around. 'I have a class ter teach... Gotta go... talk ter Ron.' Hagrid made a hasty retreat, continuing down the corridor to where his class was and eventually disappearing up a flight of steps.

Looking happier then she had in the past few days, Hermione muttered the password, and pulled something out of her clothes. She held it possessively for a moment, then opened it again. It was a letter... well, you could call it a letter... it had been delivered earlier that day by a large tawny owl, and had on the front simply the word 'Sorry ...' written in an all too familiar style. On the back, in a just as scruffy script, was written:

I couldn't chuck the book out the window...

But I am going to keep it.

It's the only picture of you I've got.

Love,

Ron.

End chapter 3—Dark Announcements.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.