Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine. Anything you recognize from JK Rowling's books is not mine. Anything you don't recognize (i.e. the Call of the Blood) is either mine or a typical fanfiction plot device. Partly inspired by the Marriage Law Challenge on WIKTT. See Chapter 1 for full disclaimer. Author's Notes at the end.
Warning: This fic is SS/HG and includes character death, descriptions of abuse, and adult situations.

Cloak of Courage

WendyNat

Chapter 14

~~~~~~~

"We'll have quite a few colorful spheres to be changed back into hamsters after the sixth year class is finished. I hope you're prepared to engage in some hard labor this afternoon."

Hermione smiled in response. She had been in Minerva's office for most of the morning, reading over notes and lesson plans while McGonagall was teaching. "If we're lucky… I expect there will be more brown, hairy spheres than multi-colored spheres to deal with. Probably some with feet, still."

Minerva nodded. "Most likely. The color variation is the most complicated part of the assignment. The wand movements are quite complex."

Wand movements… Hermione bit her lip, trying to decide whether to ask the question that had been nagging at the back of her mind since visiting Diagon Alley with Severus. "Minerva? Speaking of wands… is it common for people to switch wands when they're older… like if they choose a different specialty?"

"No, not that I'm aware." Minerva fixed her with a piercing look. "What gave you that idea?"

Hermione made an effort to shrug nonchalantly. "Nothing, really… I just remember Mr. Ollivander making comments about certain wands… you know, like Harry's mother's wand was good for Charms work. That type of thing."

"Oh, I see," Minerva said, her face relaxing. "No, Hermione, unless there is an accident I'm not aware of anyone who has switched wands when they got ol- well. That's not entirely true, actually." The Transfiguration Professor's face tightened for a moment and she shook her head slightly, eyeing the younger woman shrewdly.

"What is it?"

Minerva averted her gaze, staring out of the office window pensively. "There are certain… incantations… that particular wands are sensitive to. But they aren't in the normal curriculum."

"Dark spells," Hermione said flatly. Minerva turned back to her.

"Yes, Miss- Hermione. But it is relatively rare – most wands will handle any spell, Dark or not. A few, however… particularly those with cores of unicorn hair…" her voice trailed off and Hermione stared, her stomach tying itself into knots. Unicorn hair cores! Dimly she realized that Minerva had continued speaking, "Grindelwald had to exchange wands when he… turned."

"Oh," Hermione said, knowing that her voice sounded strained. Mr. Ollivander's seemingly cryptic words came back to her: Ash, nine and a half inches, unicorn hair, correct? And is it still working well for you? Sometimes… as a witch or wizard grows and begins to specialize in… other things… they find that their wand doesn't quite fit them anymore. I wonder if that's the case with you, young woman.

How did Mr. Ollivander know she had been reading the Dark Arts books? Or was it something else, some other signal that he had picked up on? Was it the same signal that Severus had picked up on?

Each step seems but a small one.

At that moment, her stomach growled loudly and she was brought out of her reverie. Minerva laughed. "I think it's time for lunch, young lady. I'm not surprised you're hungry, I missed you at breakfast." Minerva stood, an amused look in her eyes. "And, strangely enough, Severus was also absent."

Hermione's face grew hot and she couldn't hold back a small smile; Mr. Ollivander's odd words were pushed to the back of her mind as she thought over the events that had caused her and her husband to miss breakfast in the Great Hall. She couldn't say precisely which of them had started it, but when they were finished it was far too late to do much more than take a quick shower and order a small breakfast from the House Elves. "We um… we ate in our chambers this morning, actually. Ordered from the kitchens," she added unnecessarily, standing to follow Minerva from the office.

As they entered the corridor, Minerva glanced at Hermione and said, "So, things on that end are going well, then?" Hermione nodded with an embarrassed smile. "I'm glad."

"So am I."

                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *

The rest of the day passed quickly. There were, as Hermione had foreseen, quite a large number of brown hairy spheres to transfigure back into hamsters at the end of the afternoon classes. So many, in fact, that she and Minerva had to return to her office after dinner to complete the task. Hermione was rather worn out by the time she tossed a handful of floo powder into the fireplace in Minerva's office.

"Ah. So, Minerva finally allowed you to leave," Severus said dryly as she brushed off her outer robes. He was seated in one of the armchairs, looking exceedingly comfortable with a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. He had already changed into his sleeping attire.

She hadn't realized until then just how much she had missed his company that day. Other than casual glances – and some not so casual, she acknowledged with a smirk – they had had no contact since that morning.

But what a morning it had been. If she had her way, they would be skipping breakfast every morning. Or waking up earlier, at least.

"And what precisely is on your mind, young lady?" Severus asked, one eyebrow raised. Did he absolutely have to do that? she thought as she felt her heart rate increase.

"Hmm. It's a secret," she stated glibly, pulling her outer robes off and draping them over the back of the couch before collapsing into the thick cushions.

Severus chuckled. "Not for long, my dear. We begin your Occlumency lessons tonight, if you haven't forgotten." Hermione sighed, closing her eyes.

"No, I didn't forget. Just give me a few minutes to wind down," she said, closing her eyes. "I would say I'm too tired, but I guess I need to be able to perform in adverse conditions. Right?"

"Perceptive. The Dark Lord generally does not wait until you are well-rested to invade your mind. Although, unlike myself, you will have some warning before you are called before him," Severus said dryly. She opened her eyes to see him watching her speculatively.

"When… do you know how long? Before he insists on meeting your new wife?" she asked with a trace of apprehension. She knew the answer even before he shook his head.

"No. I will hopefully have a better estimate after the next Summons," he said matter-of-factly. She opened her mouth but closed it again when he raised his hand. "Before you ask – and I must tell you I am considering giving you a set number of questions which you can ask in one evening–" Hermione grinned despite herself "-I expect a Summons shortly. Within the next week."

"Oh. Are they usually every couple of weeks?"

"No," he said curtly. Used to his snappishness, Hermione just pursed her lips and gave him a meaningful glare. Severus sighed and put his teacup on the table beside him. "Once a month, or as needed. The most recent meeting was for the Inner Circle only, as a direct result of the marriage proposal I sent in."

"Oh, right." She was silent a moment, and then decided to lighten the mood. "So – just how many questions are you thinking of limiting me to?"

Severus' lips curled up at the edges and he leaned his head back, giving her that strange, calculating look. "Hmm. Now, that is a difficult question. Let's see – " He stood then and placed his book on the chair before gliding across the small space to the couch. He sat down, facing her. Inches from her. "Just how much is each question worth to you?" Gods, that voice…

Smiling more confidently than she felt, she said, "Well, that depends, Severus. What is the going rate per question nowadays?"

A genuine smile grew on Severus' face, and her breath hitched at the sight of it. "That is – in and of itself – a question, my dear. I fear you are digging yourself deeper into debt each time you open your mouth."

She could feel the flush steal over her face, but she was determined to keep up her end of the game. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Well… maybe there's something I could do with my mouth to help pay off that debt off." She was impressed with the steadiness of her voice as she spoke. It was the most forward thing she had yet said in one of these flirtatious games of words that they indulged in.

She held her breath as he leaned in closer to her and whispered, "Perhaps." He watched her with dark eyes as she brought one hand up around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. It began teasingly, then became more serious as she pressed against him… and then she felt his arms slide around her and she opened her mouth to him fully, flicking her tongue across his lips and into his mouth, delighted when he returned the favor.

When he finally pulled away, they were both breathing heavily and she was practically on his lap. "As enjoyable as this… debt payment… promises to be, we do have a task to perform this evening," Severus said softly, running his hands up and down her back in long, smooth strokes.

With a sigh, she nodded and climbed awkwardly to her feet. "Let me just put these robes up and change. Will we be doing it in here?" Seeing his smirk, she shook her head and clarified, "The Occlumency lesson, I mean." The man was insatiable. But, then again, so am I, she thought, biting back a smirk of her own.

Severus nodded and she left the room. Standing in front of her wardrobe, she quickly changed into her pajamas and put away her clothes from the day. She shot a quick glance at the top shelf, making sure the books were still well hidden behind her summer clothes. Sometimes the House Elves moved things around, or took things for cleaning that in most people's estimation were not at all dirty. But the summer clothes were still safely covering the Dark Arts texts. Closing the door quickly, she returned to the study, wand in hand.

"You will not need that," Severus said, nodding to her wand.

"But when you taught Harry-"

Severus sneered. "I would request that you not remind me of that miserable time, Hermione. I still have no idea what I did to have to deserve that type of punishment from the Headmaster – having to spend more time with Potter than necessary for Potions." Hermione opened her mouth to defend her friend, but Severus cut her off before she got a word out. "Do not bother, Hermione. While Potter is marginally tolerable now, when he was fifteen he was insufferable. Do not try to deny that, as you saw it better than anyone."

Hermione shrugged uncomfortably and dropped the subject of Harry. "So… so I don't need my wand."

"No. Potter's situation was quite different from yours – you will be face to face with the Dark Lord, without the direct link to his mind that Potter has. He will use wandless Legilimency on you, which is less powerful but easier to control."

Hermione frowned, thinking. "So he'll be better able to sift through my memories and find what he's looking for, then? It won't be so random?"

"Precisely," Severus said with an approving nod, his earlier temper gone.

"But he'll have to be near me."

"Eye contact is necessary for wandless Legilimency."

Her frown increased as she stated, "And that's why you grabbed my chin, to hold my eyes steady, then." She glared at him.

"Yes. But the Dark Lord will not bother with that, Hermione. He will simply kill you where you stand if you dare to avoid his gaze as guiltily as you did mine that day," Severus snapped. "Now, if you are through with your childish fit of pique, we can move on."

"My childish fit of…" Hermione started indignantly, and then bit her tongue. Was he testing her control? Her ability to perform even while agitated? She smoothed her face with an effort and won an approving nod from him.

"Very good, Hermione." Severus paced around her, speaking in a lecturing tone. "Your emotional control must be superb. The Dark Lord is a master of emotional Legilimency – while I am more attuned to image Legilimency, he – and Professor Dumbledore - are equally strong in both. Blocking images in the mind, by use of Occlumency, is far easier than blocking emotions. We do not have the time for you to learn to block emotions using Occlumency, much less to spin out false emotions… and so you need to be in control at all times."

Hermione nodded. "Severus? What do you do? I mean, do you spin out false emotions? What about… can you spin out false images? Remus said you're a master Occlumens."

"I can spin out selected images, fragmented images, but very few are capable of creating believable false images. I have not risked it." He paused for a moment and looked down at his hands before continuing, "I block all emotion and images, and when the Dark Lord meets my eyes I spin out those images and emotions that I want him to see. Of course, they must still appear random, and so I intersperse the ones I wish him to see with generic images – teaching, childhood… you understand the concept."

"But you said I wouldn't have time to learn-"

"And you will not. It takes years to come to that level of talent with Occlumency, Hermione. But I can teach you to block images, memories, that you do not wish others to see. You do, in fact, show a certain amount of raw talent."

"When I… when I pushed you out of my mind," Hermione said. Severus nodded.

"Now – let us see how well you do when you are not provoked," Severus stated coolly, moving to stand directly in front of her and pinning her with his eyes.

And, with that, her first lesson in Occlumency began.

                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *

The next morning, Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hermione."

"Mmm. Sleeping," she mumbled, snuggling into her pillow. The lesson from the evening before had been exhausting, but she had made some progress. And he hadn't seen anything overly embarrassing, so in her estimation the lesson had gone well.

"Hermione!" The voice sounded irritated now.

"What?" she asked, not opening her eyes.

"Wake up."

With a groan, she rolled over and opened her eyes, blinking when she saw Severus scowling down at her. "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get up, get ready, and go to the Great Hall for breakfast."

"Oh," she said sleepily, sitting up. "Why are you ready so early?"

For a moment she thought he would refuse to answer, and then he stalked to his wardrobe and said, "I am supposed to meet with Madam Pomfrey prior to breakfast to go over the medical potion supplies." 

Seeing the clock, she realized how late it actually was. She would have to take a quick shower to be ready in time. She hated making a late appearance at breakfast now that she was seated at the Head Table – she felt exposed enough as it was. "Why didn't you get me up earlier?" she demanded, throwing off the bedcovers and standing.

"I didn't want to wake you. You looked comfortable."

"I doubt that was the reason. You just didn't want to share your shower with me," Hermione said grumpily, yawning. 

He gave her a strange look and said, with a small smirk, "Well, my dear, had I known you were interested in sharing a shower, I would have woken you immediately," he said smoothly, pulling on his teaching robes.

Hermione smiled despite herself. "Well, keep that thought in mind," she said saucily, walking up to him and kissing his neck. She didn't miss the uneven breath he took at the contact. "I'll see you at breakfast then?"

Severus gave her a shrewd look before bending down to kiss her gently. "Yes. Floo to Minerva's office when you leave."

"I know, Severus," she said, irritated at the reminder. She was getting a bit tired of being treated like a brainless damsel in distress. "Have a good meeting."

"Irritated, my dear?" Severus said, smirking at her. She just scowled at him as he chuckled. "Until later then, Hermione. And remember," he murmured, rubbing his thumb along her jaw. "We are doing this not because you are incapable of taking care of yourself, but so that the situation does not arise where you will have to. I don't believe we are being overly cautious in this instance – Malfoy has made direct threats against you." His black eyes bore into her. "Think, Hermione. What would happen to your little friend Potter if something were to befall you?"

She looked down, the anger melting from her.

"Precisely. Now – I must go," Severus said, lifting her chin and brushing her lips with his own.

"All right," Hermione answered, grabbing the hand that was still stroking her jaw and bringing it to her mouth. She placed a gentle kiss against the palm and was rewarded by an almost inarticulate sigh. "Goodbye."

Some time later, Hermione was seated at the Head Table with the other apprentices, gazing longingly at the Gryffindor table where her friends sat. She missed meals with Ginny and Harry, and even Lavender and Parvati, but she understood the need to assert her new position in the school. Particularly since she would soon be assisting with Minerva's classes.

It wouldn't have been as lonely if the two Astronomy apprentices ever spoke to her. However, they were generally deep in a discussion of star charts or telescope settings, and she had precious little interest in the details of either subject. So, after the obligatory greetings, she was left to her own thoughts for most of the mealtimes.

Severus came in shortly after she did, arriving through the staff door along with Madam Pomfrey. Their eyes met and he gave a quick nod in response to her warm smile, which only made her grin grow. He was in full Potions Master character once he entered the Great Hall, and he certainly couldn't allow the students to see him smile. Even at his wife. Or… perhaps, especially not at his wife. She wondered, then, just how the students had been behaving towards him since their marriage was made public. She knew about Dennis, of course, but she wondered if any other students had dared to say anything in his earshot.

Probably not.

Her musings were cut short by the arrival of the owl post. She smiled at the shrieks and calls from both owls and children as feathers, knocked loose when the owls backwinged to their landings, floated in the air. Absently, she noted a few owls heading for the Head Table and thought nothing of it until she noticed one plain brown owl headed for her chair. She tensed for a moment until she realized that the owl was carrying only a letter, with no forbidding packages. It must be Viktor's reply, she thought with relief, giving the owl a bit of toast before it flew off. Sneaking a glance over at her husband, she smiled reassuringly and he nodded and turned back to McGonagall.

With a sigh she pushed back her plate and opened the envelope, pulling out two parchments. The first page was a reply to her letter, as she had expected, but the second… her breath caught. The page was filled with incantations… descriptions of wand movements… spells… ward-breaking spells. Merlin…

She glanced up and saw that Severus was still engaged in conversation with Minerva. Madam Hooch had joined in, which suggested that it was a discussion about the Quidditch match the next day. She breathed a sigh of relief. She knew she should show the parchment to Severus, but something was telling her to keep it quiet… and really, why deny herself the knowledge? Who knew when it might come in handy… not only for revenge, but to possibly protect someone close to her… how could she deny any advantage that was available? She would be a fool to throw that advantage away.

They will pay. I will make them pay.

Carefully schooling her features, she folded the incantation-covered parchment and tucked it into her robes. A quick glance at her husband assured her that he had noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Much more relaxed, she scanned the letter to be sure that, as she had suspected, there was no mention of the second page. With a satisfied nod, she re-folded the letter and returned it to the envelope. Severus would no doubt like to see it later that night so they could plan the wording of her next correspondence.

But now, she had a busy day ahead of her.

                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *

After dinner that evening, Lavender and Parvati grabbed her from Minerva's office where she had gone to pick up some papers to be marked over the weekend. She looked at Minerva pleadingly but the traitorous witch simply nodded and told her that she had time before the evening's meeting to catch up with her friends. Severus had a private meeting with the Headmaster before the Order met, and so she was unable to use him as an excuse. With a resigned sigh, Hermione followed the two exuberant witches into the Gryffindor common room. Ginny was seated in front of the fireplace and Hermione gave a relieved sigh when she rose from her chair and followed them up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. 

She needed another rational person in the room with her. She and Ginny sat on one bed, while Parvati and Lavender sat across from them.

And the interrogation began.

"So?"

Hermione just smirked, and the two girls seated across from her grinned widely and then began talking at once.

"When?"

"How?"

"Did you do what we told you?"

"Was it as good as the first time?"

Hermione glanced at the redheaded witch beside her and caught the roll of her eyes. Hermione held her hands up. "Slow down, girls. I did take your advice, but then I went for the more direct approach."

Parvati sucked in a breath, her eyes wide. "You grabbed his-"

"No!" Hermione shrieked, flushing. Beside, her, Ginny giggled. Traitor, Hermione thought sourly and in a more moderate tone she said, "Gods, Parvati! No, I just asked if we had to wait until Saturday."

Lavender cocked her head to the side and regarded Hermione for a moment before saying, "You just came right out and said that?"

Hermione shrugged, unable to hold back an embarrassed grin. "Well, no, not exactly… he was brushing my hair-" At the sound of the other girls' gasps Hermione stopped in confusion. "What?"

"He was brushing your hair?" Lavender asked, a knowing look on her face. Hermione nodded. Lavender and Parvati's eyes met and they both smirked. "Oh, he's more than just attracted to you, Hermione. He's infatuated."

"Don't be silly," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. She glanced over at Ginny for support but when she saw the wide-eyed gaze of the younger witch she knew there would be no assistance from that quarter.

"No, I'm serious – why else would he do that?" Lavender insisted.

Hermione sighed. "He's just trying to make me feel more comfortable, I'm sure, Lavender. We've only really known each other for a couple of weeks now."

"True love doesn't nee-"

"Parvati, you have got to stop reading those romance novels, all right?" Hermione said, laughing. "Listen, you lot… Severus and I are getting along well, better than I thought, and I'm pretty sure he's attracted to me, but there's nothing more than that. Really. It's too soon."

Lavender nodded. "I'll grant you that, Hermione. But I foresee something more happening…" Hermione rolled her eyes. "I bet if I got a chance to read both of your palms, it would tell me more."

"Right. It would tell you that we're both pale and have a habit of spilling ink on our fingers." At Hermione's terse statement, Ginny giggled and the two Divination students shared a long-suffering look. "He's just trying to make me more comfortable with everything." Ginny quickly sobered and gave her an odd look.

"Hermione… I doubt he's only doing it to make you more comfortable. That doesn't seem very Snape-like," Ginny said slowly. Hermione just shook her head. Despite the others' words, she felt certain that it was the truth… she had sensed a few instances during their… encounters… where she felt certain that he was holding back in some way. And, even outside the bedroom, he was obviously making an effort to be friendlier to her… if such a word could be used to describe the dark man. Ginny was right – it didn't seem very Snape-like, actually. So why was he bothering?

Hermione cleared her throat and shrugged, pushing the suspicious thoughts aside to deal with later. "Maybe… it's just easier for him that way. It wouldn't be very pleasant or peaceful to live with someone who's at your throat, or who shakes like a leaf every time they talk to you. So being nice to me benefits him, too…"

Parvati snorted. "It's not the only benefits he's getting. Angry people usually don't shag quite so often."

"Parvati!" Ginny gasped. Hermione glanced over at her and scowled when she saw the broad grin on the redhead's face.

Lavender shook her head. "Not true, Parvati. Angry sex can be great. No holds barred, if you know what I mean," the blonde witch said, grinning wickedly. Hermione cocked her head curiously. "I'm serious – the best sex I ever had was during a fight with Seamus about a month ago. He was angry and I had a go at him – wanted to end the fight – and it was amazing. So… wild and unrestrained."

Ginny giggled again. Hermione had mixed feelings about this – on one hand, she was glad that Ginny was beginning to relax again and have some fun; on the other hand, she wasn't sure she wanted to be the catalyst for said fun. Ginny's eyes glinted mischievously as she said, "That's true, Lavender… I know Dean and I… well, never mind. But, can you imagine – with Professor Snape's temper?"

Lavender nodded with a wide grin. "Yeah. Wild and unrestrained wouldn't even come close."

                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *                                  *

Severus slipped quietly through the door of the meeting room. He had had to attend to an issue in Slytherin House immediately prior to the Order meeting and as a result was delayed. The other Order members were already seated in the office, including his wife, who apparently had saved an empty seat beside her. Their eyes met and when she smiled in greeting, he stalked across the room to take the chair next to her.

As soon as he was seated, Hermione leaned over and whispered, "Trouble in Slytherin, Severus?"

He made a noncommittal grunt and eyed her sourly. "You don't have to look so joyous, my dear. I am not pleased to have to take points from my own House, as you well know."

Hermione chuckled lightly and in a low voice said, "Minerva and I saw the points drop in the hourglass on the way. Prof- um, Albus told us what happened."

"Oh he did? And did he also-" Severus hissed. He stopped abruptly when he heard Dumbledore clear his throat.

"Thank all of you for coming this evening. I know it isn't our normal meeting time, but we have an issue to discuss. We aren't all here, but I did call those I thought would be most… useful… in the current situation."

On the other side of him, Kingsley Shacklebolt grinned and Severus couldn't hold back a smirk. No, conniving though the man was, Mundungus Fletcher would be of little use in deciphering a cryptic prophecy.

"There is also a second purpose to this meeting. I have, with the consent of the Lead Order members, named Hermione Snape as an official member of the Order of the Phoenix." As Dumbledore spoke the standard words of greeting, Severus scanned the room. The people he had expected to appear were all present… including Alastor Moody.

Severus froze when his gaze fell on the old Auror. Mad-Eye Moody was staring at Hermione intently, with an odd expression on his face. Did Moody sense the affinity, also? He bit back an irritated sigh. Had he and Moody enjoyed a more affable relationship, he might have arranged to speak to the man after the meeting. But, as it was…

"And now, to the matter at hand," Albus stated, bringing Severus' attention back to the Headmaster. Dumbledore turned and, with a sweep of his wand, fiery letters appeared on the wall behind him. The glowing words on the wall drew all eyes in the room.

The key to ensure light over shadows prevail

Is in the blood of the friend, bound in red

From dark to light, from despair to hope

From stag to blade, from blade to flesh

Betrayal brings hope, loyalty brings ruin

Blood Rites will conquer the shadow

And the Dark Lord will be dead.

Bill Weasley sat forward, his brow knit in concentration. Potter was shaking his head slightly as he read and reread the words, and beside him Lupin put a hand on the boy's shoulder in a gesture of support. Severus almost snorted – Potter had so many people fawning all over him it was nauseating. This prophecy didn't even involve the boy, if his suspicions were correct. Despite his words to Albus after the handfasting ceremony, it appeared clear to Severus that the prophecy spoke of Hermione.

He watched his wife from the corner of his eye. She appeared to be composed and calm, but he could see her knuckles turning white from the pressure she was exerting on the arm of her chair. She was gaining better control over her emotions, but she still needed work – as was evidenced in their tutoring session the evening before. Even so… he recognized that he didn't enjoy seeing her upset…

The realization unsettled him.

He sat for a moment, his body stiff, while his mind worked furiously. Finally he relaxed. Of course he didn't want to see the young woman upset – he had to live with her, after all, and dealing with a weepy female wasn't at the top of his list of things to do that evening. Indeed, there was something quite different topping his list of things to accomplish…

Potter spoke up then, spoiling his reverie. "Professor, as much as I don't want it to be true… I've been thinking about it all week, and I just don't see what else that second line could be referring to, other than Hermione."

Severus turned to face her and saw her nod slowly, still outwardly composed. However, years of reading people would have told him otherwise even without the evidence of her whitened knuckles. She was breathing just a little too quickly, a little too shallowly, and her pupils were dilated more than the brightness in the room would normally cause. Letting out a breath, Severus turned back to face Dumbledore. "Headmaster, I believe Potter is correct." As he spoke, he snaked one hand out to stroke her fingers and he saw her jump slightly, startled at the contact.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Severus, as do I. Does anyone have any other ideas?" While Dumbledore scanned the room to see if anyone could come up with an alternate explanation, Severus lifted her unresisting hand from the chair arm and twined his fingers through hers. He didn't miss the smile that played at the edges of her lips as she stared down at their entwined hands… or the faint blush that appeared on her cheeks at the contact.

Kingsley shook his head. "Albus, that's about the only line – other than the first and last – that is clear to me. The major binding of Hermione and Severus' union was red."

"And 'Blood of the friend'… well, that obviously refers to Hermione rather than Severus," Lupin stated. Lupin shrugged. "If, indeed, it is a friend of Harry's that the prophecy speaks of."

Severus sat back and said curtly, "It is undoubtedly Hermione. Those that I call friend, or that call me friend in turn, are few and far between, Lupin." Severus' tone made it clear that, in his estimation, this was a perfectly acceptable state of affairs.

"What about the rest of the lines?" Molly Weasley asked, her face pale but set.

Tonks spoke up then. "Some of them are fairly obvious, or at least just filler-type things – like the 'From dark to light' line… but what about 'From stag to blade, from blade to flesh?'"

Silence fell over the room until Hermione let out a sharp exclamation, her fingers tightening in Severus' grip. "Harry! The stag! Prongs!"

Lupin looked at her strangely. "James…"

Hermione shook her head, leaning forward excitedly in her seat. "No, Remus, not his father… it's his Patronus!" Albus' gaze shot to Hermione, an excited gleam in his blue eyes that could be seen even from across the room.  

Potter's head whipped around to stare at the still-glowing words on the wall, his lips moving silently. "That makes sense, 'Mione… more sense than anything else I came up with. But what about my Patronus? Use it against Voldemort? How? And what blade?" Hermione chewed her lip, then finally shook her head in defeat.

"I don't know, Harry."

"But that is an excellent start, Hermione. I agree that that is the most likely conclusion… but whether it indicates that Voldemort will gain complete control over the Dementors and we should be prepared, or something else entirely…" Dumbledore shook his head.

"The Blood Rites will conquer the shadow," Moody quoted in a low, raspy voice. Looking at the old Auror, Severus was caught in his gaze. It almost seemed as if the older wizard was trying to tell him something… of course, Moody was the only other person in the room who understood the true implications of the Blood Rites.

And, consequently, one of the two people in the room who could successfully perform them.

To Severus' surprise, Hagrid's voice broke their soundless communication. The half-giant generally remained silent during Order meetings unless he was addressed specifically. "Well, I dunno what yer prophecy might mean, Professor Dumbledore, but as fer me, I'm a bit more worried about our Hermione if You-Know-Who comes ter hear about it."

A small frown line appeared on Hermione's forehead. "I'll be fine, Hagrid, but thank you for worrying. You'd do better to worry about Harry, though. I have enough keepers al-"

Severus sensed that she was beginning to pick up speed and interjected smoothly, "It is being taken care of, Hagrid. We are not cataloging it with the Ministry as of yet, and I can assure you that even should the Dark Lord hear of it, I will do what I can to misdirect him. Hermione will be safe." Her fingernails were now biting into his hand. It was actually rather painful, but he was accustomed to dealing with worse pain – such as slicing hexes from Lucius - and was able to keep his expression clear. Much to Hermione's evident displeasure. He had to bite back a chuckle at the angry flush that rose to her cheeks when she received no reaction from her nails.

"The only people who know of the prophecy aside from those in this room are Ginny Weasley and two young ladies who have sworn a wand-oath to discuss it with no one other than Harry, myself, or Severus," Dumbledore said soothingly, and Hagrid sat back with a satisfied nod. "And that does bring me to the extreme secrecy of this prophecy. As Severus said, we are not reporting it to the Ministry. There are simply too many eyes and ears of Voldemort's located there. Lucius Malfoy being, of course, the highest placed."

"That we know of," Severus said coolly.

"That we know of," Albus acknowledged.

The meeting then turned to a few more musings concerning the prophecy, and some basic information that had been gathered at the recent Death Eater meetings – none of which, of course, was news to Severus. Or Hermione, for that matter, as Severus had provided her the pertinent information over the course of the week.

Finally, the meeting was called to a close, with agreements to continue thinking over the meaning of the prophecy. Thoughts that would most likely prove fruitless, in Severus' estimation. From prior experience, prophecies only made sense after the fact, and did little to shed light on a situation before it occurred. Leaning close to Hermione, Severus said, "And now is the inevitable 'milling about' and 'socializing' portion of the evening's events. I generally skip it-" Hermione cut him off.

"Well, I want to speak with the Weasleys, and Harry, before-" Severus said nothing, simply raising an eyebrow at the interruption, and Hermione subsided.

Satisfied that she had stopped, he said smoothly, "As I was saying, I generally skip it, but I will… linger… if you feel you absolutely must speak to some of these people before we escape." She gave him an impudent smile and stood, releasing his hand as she did so.

As she walked off to visit with her friends, he found - to his surprise - that he rather missed the contact.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review!!

For anyone who is interested in fic recs, I'm going to start posting one or two at the bottom of each chapter. My very first is:

"At Any Moment" by Ozratbag2 – appears on lordandladysnape.net, fanfiction.net, and adultfanfiction.net

A very intelligently written story that's constructed in a very original way – via journal entries by different characters. I don't want to even try to summarize it for fear of giving anything away – it's a WIP.

Serpens Potio – I'm glad you liked that line! And I can't comment on anything else, because I don't want to give anything away.

Mistress Nymphadora – Can't answer your question, but rest assured there is no vampire in this fic. I haven't read or seen any Anne Rice stuff… other than Interview with a Vampire and a small hint – nope, not like that ;). Thank you for your comments!

Dakota – I'm afraid that's a read and find out answer… thanks for the review!

Sparkly_lairy_fights – Thanks – I thought up the Call of the Blood while grocery shopping and thought it would be great to explain that whole Shrieking Shack scene. Elsewhere in the books he's so very controlled, even during the OotP argument with Sirius his voice goes lower when he gets angry, so I wanted something to explain it. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Wallflower – I still got some complaints that it was dark even after the warnings, can you believe? Thanks for your comments, I'm so glad you're enjoying it!

Smothered Light, Tasya, Arafel2, Dru – Thanks for reviewing!!!